I Feel the Light Betray Me
by Destiny of Fire
Summary: What is the price of friendship? As more and more people mysteriously disappear, some closely conected to AVALANCHE, the peace seems a distant memory for the defeaters of the one-winged angel. Name from Linkin Park's song, Papercut.
1. Peaceful Beginning

Chapter 1- Peaceful Beginning

Whatever tomorrow brings,

I'll be there.

With open arms,

And open eyes.

"Drive" -Incubus 

"Well, all seems to be going according to plan. It's nice to feel like the efforts have _finally _payed off, huh?"

Reno nodded at the President of Neo-shinra's comment, his grin glistening ivory in the light of Reeve's office in the Shinra Tower. Adjusting his sunglasses on the top of his head, smothered in a spiky mess of chaotic scarlet hair, he walked over to the window behind Reeve and gazed out. He saw his reflection, and regretted it. Sinister, cocky, aquamarine eyes gazed back at him as a smirk adorned his reflection's thin face, fairly screaming at him:

_Hey big shot. You miss me?_

Reno held in a sigh and stared into his own ominous face, feeling strangely like…

"It's going good. There are a lot of people done there all too happy to join us." Rude's sharp, gruff voice brought Reno back to the present with a jolt. Looking back at the window, the reflection still mocked him.

Reeve nodded to his stoic employee. "They're full of hope. Most have been broken by the past, but there _are _a few that still have the strength to reach to the sun."

"I wish we could help them." Elena murmured. Reno noticed with a grin that she had stopped with the almost creepy "sir" thing she always did. That was good, it made him feel…weird. Guilty, at least. He had never been the most delightful partner there was, he wouldn't be surprised if Elena hated him by now. Oh well, that was life for ya.

Reno was definitely _not_ one of those guys who wasted their lives living in self-pity, seeking solitude in alcohol and drugs. Some may think that, but it wasn't true. To the public, his intentions were translucent; he was just a pampered little prick who hated everything and lived in his own beer bottle. Either that, or he was an obnoxious, arrogant bastard who only cared about himself. Equally untrue. 

He knew what he was. He was a monkey in a blue suit. But he felt powerful with it, so he wrapped himself in the illusions that he was the ultimate tough, formidable guy you wouldn't mess with. Well, it made him feel good. So what? 

Yeah, he enjoyed a drink now and then. He was lucky, years ago he was a die-hard alcoholic with nothing to show for it. And sure, he _had _woken up with his share of hangovers even after that, but he wasn't some pathetic slob that couldn't handle his own life. 

He hated to admit it, it felt weak, but deep down in that craphole they called his Spirit, he was scared. Like a kid, lost and confused in a cruel world. He usually ignored his feelings with a sly remark, but he wasn't made of rock! 

He just pretended he was.

"Well, so do I. That's what this is about." Reeve smiled slightly, stroking his chin lightly. He looked just as formidable as Rufus and Shinra, with icy, cold eyes and an emotionless frown. But if you looked in the eyes of the President of Neo-Shinra, there was compassion, a want to help those who needed it.

Elena had it too. Reno respected it.

My, she was a piece of work, that one. Pretty, smart and spirited, she had lightened Reno's mood more than once with her unbreakable optimism. Then again, it was him that had shot her down, again and again right?

_Shuttap! Concentrate on what your doing!_

"So what's our job?" Rude asked. 

Reeve smiled a little broader. "Track down the nine members of AVALANCHE and bring them to me."

"Aww man." Reno groaned. "There's no way they'll come! Why do you need them anyway?"  

"When I was – observing them, they seemed perfectly capable of doing what was necessary. Besides, we need all the help we can get. Don't tell me you still hold a grudge to them."

Reno frowned melodramatically. "But they beat me up really bad, gave me and ouchie booboo."

"Poor little boy." Reeve said, his face a slight smirk of amusement.

Reno flicked a lock of wild red hair from his intense blue eyes, and grinned, still playing his game. "Nobody loves me."

"We're loving you less every second you're holding us up. C'mon, let's go." Rude murmured.

"Was that an attempt at humour, my good man? You're really not very nice, you know."

"Come on Reno, Reeve gave us a job!" Elena said, barely constraining her excitement. Nothing new about that. That girl had a serious crush on her job; to the point of believing it was some glorious inner fulfillment or some crap like that. Perhaps that was why Reno didn't get along with her, he just didn't understand her.

Oh well. With a nod, he walked methodically towards the staircase, his slim physique casting a tall shadow on the wall against the light of the sun. He heard a grunt as Rude followed, his feet agile but still shuffling, which was a bad habit of his. Elena sucked in a breath as they began to leave and he heard her shout after them.

"Guys! Wait up!"

Elena watched as Reno walked to the elevator, his hands in his pockets nonchalantly and something in his teeth, probably a toothpick. She wasn't sure where he got them, but he always had to be chewing something. It irritated Elena at times, but she was to excited to care.

Rude walked beside his fiery haired friend, which Elena noticed made him look rather clumsy in comparison to the light, sure-footed steps that seemed always tensed, but oh-so casual. Of course, Elena'd seen Rude accomplish acts of dexterity that boggled her mind, but his almost comical shuffling showed nothing of it. 

With a small _ding, _the elevator doors opened. Elena ducked in after her partners as Reno pushed one of the yellow buttons. She was glad the elevator music had been taken out. Reno had somehow learned how to set it to his own music and had had a tendency of singing it loudly to himself. Of course, when he felt like annoying them, he'd sing the normal music too in his smooth, fluent voice, dripping with unintended a cynical tone always. 

Soon, they stopped and the doors opened. Rude and Reno stepped out onto the first floor, Reno nodding briefly to the secretary, and they headed out back to the launch pad. Usually, they had coptors ready so they could just go from the top floor, but it was their own choice to use coptors, so Rude would be driving. That was okay; Elena dreaded the thought of the day when Reno took the wheel. She'd never ridden with him, but he'd been the one who taught her how to fly in her training, and that had been a nightmare. Even though he'd been brutally injured by AVALANCHE not long before, he'd managed to take over for her from the seat behind whenever the coptor threatened to run itself into things. It hadn't been fun either, he'd dislocated his wrist and it kept popping out and forcing the wheel sharply sideways.

"What are you grinning about Elena?" Reno asked as he circled around the Shinra-made Coptor.

She shrugged. "Nothing."

Rude waited patiently while she got in the seat behind him, and sat down heavily. 

Though the engine had stalled a bit during takeoff (which resulted in some colourful language by Reno,) eventually they were in the air, flying west to Nibelheim, where Cloud, Tifa and Vincent resided.

Cloud couldn't help but smile as Tifa posed in front of a mirror, a big grin on her face as she tested out what she should wear. 

"Hmm…green or blue Cloud?"

He shuddered at the sight of the blue dress that so closely resembled the one from Midgar that Aeris and Tifa had wanted to keep so badly.

"Green. Please green."

She looked at it and laughed. "Kinda looks like…"

"Yeah, it does." He frowned. "Stop smiling at me, it wasn't funny!"

"Yes it was! You looked so cute!" She laughed again.

With a grin, he lunged at her and began to tickle her sides. She screamed and tried to wiggle away, only ending up in his arms. 

"Hey there." Cloud smiled down at her.

From downstairs, he heard Cid hollering up.

"Yo, doesn't take all day!"

Cloud and Tifa exchanged glances. Cid and Shera Highwind, along with Vincent and Yuffie, were over for a visit and Tifa had taken it very seriously, preparing a large meal and fussing over every little thing. Cloud had tried his best to help, but found that it was more useful if he just got out of the way and let Tifa do her thing. Of course, despite all her work, they still ended up waiting in the living room while she got dressed.

Tifa dropped the blue dress back into her closet, and Cloud wondered downstairs as she began to change, giving her some privacy.

"Hey, about time, Cloud! I thought we were gonna have to come up there and get you!" Yuffie shouted over at him as he walked down. 

Cloud and Tifa had ended up living in Nibelheim completely by accident. They had originally wanted to buy a house in Kalm or Mideel, but had found that the owner of a house in Nibelheim was moving away, and the price was surprisingly low, though Cloud had enough money not to worry about price. Coincidentally, the house was the one that had been Tifa's.

"Where is Tifa?" Vincent asked tonelessly. 

Cloud smiled. "Putting on a dress."

"I can't believe Shera forced me into one of these!" Yuffie made a face, looking down at the purple kimono Shera had fondly suggested she wore. Cloud was pretty sure that Yuffie secretly liked it, but it was funny to see her deny it.

"Quiet girl, you look good in it." Cid had politely 'decided' not to smoke (due to Shera's firm 'suggestion' that he don't) but seemed like he could use it. Cloud was surprised at how well Shera actually controlled him, simply by making shy little implications of what she wanted. 

"I thought it was nice, at least." Shera muttered with a smile. 

Vincent remained silent.

"Hey guys, nice to see you all again!" Tifa began down the staircase, adorned in a sleeveless dress of emerald green.

Yuffie beamed up her and cried, "You look great, Teef!"

Vincent nodded in agreement.

"Thanks Yuffie!" She sat down on the couch of her living room beside Cloud. "So, what's new guys?"

"Not much. My dad has been gushing over me ever since I got home, so I needed a break from the old geezer." Yuffie's grin widened, and it seemed to tell them she was lying, and she was glad to see her dad.

"Yeah. We finally got that damn Highwind back in the air. Jesus holy, that thing was being a pain in the ass." Cid grumbled. "Oh well."

Just then, there was a loud knocking on the door. Tifa raised an eyebrow and walked over.

From outside, someone said. "Hey Tifa, long time no see, eh?"

Tifa frowned and replied. "What the heck are you guys doing here?"

Cloud, a little worried and more than a little curious, walked over, and was surprised to see Reno leaning heavily on the doorframe and smirking at them.

"Oh, hey Cloud. Reeve sends his best." Reno said, turning his deep, extreme blue eyes over to him. 

"Can we come in?" Elena asked.

"Hey Cloud. Who the hell is it?" Cid demanded from the living room.

"Turks." Cloud muttered, a little confused at seeing his ex-enemies at his doorstep. 

The three of them walked in, and Tifa closed the door behind them. Elena and Rude just watched as Reno explained about Reeve's wishes.

"Yah, well Reeve was all busy about restoring Midgar or some crap like that. So he's spent the last…dunno…last while, tryin' to find people willing to join Neo-Shinra and such and such. So of course, he sent us guys to see if you could help him with it. _I _think he just wants to see ya, but why he doesn't just use his cell, I'll never know."

Cloud nodded, trying and hoping his eyes didn't reveal his emotions. In the few times he'd spoken to Reeve, the man had mentioned some Neo-Shinra thing, and that the Turks had become very important to his plans. He'd also said they promised they wouldn't be doing the hunt-and-kill business anymore, which relieved everyone, but Cloud still didn't trust them, for reasons of his own. 

But, though she looked surprised, Tifa still ushered them to sit down. "How'd you guys get here?"

"Helicopter." Elena said. Rude said nothing, and Reno looked at him and grinned. Slipping off their black boots, the three walked over to the living room, following Tifa and Cloud.

"Hey, it's the screwballs! Nice to see you're sorry asses again, Reeve's told us _so _much about you!" Cid sneered sarcastically.

"Whatever, Highwind." Reno said, glaring for a moment, then returning to his fairly neutral expression. The ever-present smirk had left his face.

"Um…" Tifa looked confused on what to do, but to Cloud's disappointment, she said, "Do you want something to eat? We were just about to eat."

Reno, much more talkative than his companions, shook his head. "I dunno. We wouldn't wanna bug you; we're just here on business. We all know you guys still aren't great on our being around, even though our jobs have gotten a lot more…tame lately."

"We _are _willing to forget though. I have a feeling we'll be forced to get used to each other sooner than we thought, if Reeve is wanting our help." Tifa smiled uncomfortably and shrugged.

"Weeell, if you guys don't mind." Cloud could tell by the look on the taller man's face that he didn't really mind their company, as long as food was available. He was surprised the self-acclaimed leader of the Turks was being so polite. It sent a shiver up his spine.

"Have we met?" Elena asked suddenly, glancing at Shera.

"I don't think so. I'm Shera." She held out a hand shyly. "I'm Cid's wife."

Elena shook her hand with a grateful look on her face. Cloud really had nothing against Elena. She'd been a pest a times, but she wasn't a bad person as far as he could tell, and due to Reeve's word.

"Wow, Cid's smarter than he looks. Congrats." Reno laughed lightly, and Rude, as usual, said nothing. 

"Well." Yuffie said for all of them. "This is uncomfortable."

"Yeah, it really is." Elena muttered. "Too bad really, you guys aren't as bad as Reno's said."

"Shut-_up_ Elena!" Reno cried, giving her a pitiful look. "I only said that because they had just knocked the stuffing out of me!"

"Sorry sir." She said, trying to conceal her own grin. 

"Aw man, don't start with the sir thing again! My name is Reno, just stick to that, okay?"

Cloud shuffled in his seat uncomfortably and sighed. It would be a long night.

_Authors note: Hehe, yeah, I know this chapter was kinda boring, but the next chapter is gonna be the one where stuff starts happening, so please stay tuned! And if you have any comments or suggestions, the review box is right there in the bottom left side of the screen, fire away. ;)_


	2. Nightmares Beginning

Chapter 2 – Nightmare's beginning

Why's it feel like night today?

Somehow everything's not right today.

Why am I so uptight today?

Like the paranoia's all I got left.

I don't know how it struck me first,

Or how the pressure was fed. 

But I know just what it feels like…

To have a voice in the back of my head…

"Papercut" –Linkin Park

Tifa couldn't sleep. For some reason, the same feelings of fear assailed her mind. Perhaps not fear as much as – dread. She just couldn't shake the thought that something was going to happen, something horrible. She felt tense and fidgety, and her eyes felt abnormally wide. She tried to console herself, to convince herself that she was being paranoid, but it wasn't happening.

She listened to the loud snoring coming from downstairs, probably from Cid, who was sleeping on the pulled out couch-bed with Shera. Beside her, Cloud made hardly a sound as he slept peacefully. With a sigh, Tifa stood up and got dressed, trying her hardest to be quiet with it. Careful not to make the floor creak, she walked out of her room and downstairs, passing the room that Yuffie was sleeping in, and then Vincent's. Once downstairs, she was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice that only two chairs were inhabited by sleeping Turks. She walked over to the kitchen like a zombie, and opened the fridge, pulling out a pitcher of water. Still deep in thought, she reached into the cupboard and took out a glass. Drinking her water and placing the pitcher back in the fridge, she sat down at the kitchen table and stared into the glass with a thoughtful gaze.

"Hey."

The voice startled her so bad she nearly dropped the water onto the floor. She jerked her head up and saw Elena watching her. 

"Whoa, you startled me!" Tifa said, her voice a hushed whisper.

Elena bit her lip. "Sorry. I thought you saw me."

"You can't sleep?"

"No." Elena shrugged. "I don't know, I just feel really tense for some reason."

"Me too." Tifa admitted. 

"Yeah…" Elena looked down at the table nervously. The room was perfectly silent for a while, minus Cid's snoring. For what seemed an eternity, Tifa fought for something to say, but found nothing. Finally, Elena spoke,

"Listen, I'm sorry." Her big brown eyes fixed on Tifa. 

"For what?"

"Just…everything. Causing you guys trouble way back when, and being such a pain in the ass and everything."

Tifa nodded, realizing it had been nearly two years since she'd seen the female Turk. "It was your job, don't worry about it."

"I know, but I still feel bad. I should have quit as soon as I learned what the Turks really do, but – I felt so accomplished, like I was doing something really useful for once. I guess that's why I stayed, I finally felt like a success."

"It's not your fault, I – we fully forgive you, I promise. We can't blame you for liking what you do."

"I know, but I just feel bad about it. I just want to think that for once, something I'm doing has a point to it, like I won't die not having done anything."

Tifa nodded again. "I understand. That's how I feel, like if I don't do _something, _I'll die not having accomplished anything."

"Reno says that I'm too obsessed with it. He seems to like his job – well, as much as you can like being a Turk – but he also acts like its just his means of feeding his family."

"Family?" Tifa had never actually considered the motives behind Reno before.

"Yeah, his mom and his little sister live in the slums. He's trying really hard to get enough money to move them somewhere safer, but Heidigger wasn't really huge on pay checks."

"That's horrible. I would never have thought it…"

Elena looked over at the sleepy form of the Turk, his thin lips closed in a frown of restful contentment. It was strange, but he actually looked kind of innocent when he slept. She smiled wryly. "Yeah, he doesn't seem the type, but he really loves his family. He's always telling Rude and me about them, especially Ceres. She's his five-year-old stepsister, and he adores her. Hehe, but usually it's Rude he talks to, I'm just the Rookie."

"I don't know. If you could handle all that time with Reno – without coming out of it in a straightjacket, that is – I think you deserve the Metal for Bravery." Tifa smiled, and Elena laughed.

"Ain't that the truth?"

She almost screamed as Reno was suddenly behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

"You guys aren't very nice, talking about me while I sleep."

Tifa felt her cheeks flair at that, and she looked away. 

"How long were you listening to us?" Elena's voice whooshed out of her body anxiously, loosing the casual tone she had wanted.

Reno shrugged, "Sometime between Ceres and straightjacket. Why, was there more?" His icy eyes turned on her, but they seemed oddly amused. Maybe there really _was _a human down there somewhere.

"No, of course not. I was just wondering." Elena said, laughing uncertainly.

"Relax." His fiercely blue, iridescent eyes flickered from amusement to a kind of cunning compassion of some sort. "I'm not going to yell at you or something. You gotta learn to be more casual, Elena."

Tifa watched the too, and felt strangely pleasant around them. As a whole they weren't all that bad, even if Reno kind of made her edgy with his viciously controlled emotions shining only through his bright aqua eyes.

"So, are you guys gonna meet with Reeve?" Elena asked Tifa suddenly, breaking an incoming silence.

She nodded. "I think so, yeah. Yuffie and Vincent didn't mention it, but Cloud and Cid seemed more than happy at the chance to see him. Its been awhile…"

"Nearly two years, you mean? Trust me, he's missed ya." Reno's eyes were eerily gentle. "That guy – he's one in a million. Jesus Christ he confuses me, but he's a good guy."

"Ya, he talks about you a lot. It's kinda – you know – weird at times, hearing about the enemy from one of the guys who was supposed to be part of the enemy. But, it keeps his mind off the troubles." Elena's voice sounded almost like it was trailing off, even though she wasn't, which made Tifa curious.

"Troubles?"

"Damn Neo-Shinra rebels. They were the guys that were high-ranking and crap like that, and lost a lot when Shinra broke up. Naturally, instead of getting a new job, they just pummel at us. And their ain't a lot of people willing to join us, whether their too cowardly or they feel like it isn't worth it. Some even think we're gonna repeat what Shinra did before." Reno fairly spat the words out in anger. "Idiots. Stupid goddam idiots."

"I see. Well, I'm going to go to bed. Tomorrow we can get to Midgar and sort it all out with Reeve." Tifa nodded to the two of them and walked upstairs.

Reno watched her go and looked at Elena. "Heh, poor Rude. She's just spooked of the prospect of going with us I betcha."

"Why poor Rude?" Elena asked suspiciously.

"Oh, no reason." Reno said, looking skyward innocently.

Elena rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I just don't get you Reno."

"Yeah, I know."

The next day, the winds rose up from the East, slamming past Kalm in short, powerful gasps of power, the true strength of nature. As the Turks struggled their way into the helicopter, Cid was cursing and trying to get the Highwind in the air.

"Goddamn sonuva…get your scrawny ass of the ground, _now! _Come _ooon!_"

The airship responded with a metallic click and a hiss. 

"Oh, whaddya know? Heh heh, I forgot about that lever, didn' I?" 

In response, the Highwind leapt to the air with a harsh, metal groan. Cid began to pull levers and push button furiously, his cigarette once again present in his mouth. Soon, they were following the copter on their way to Midgar.

Tifa watched Cloud's blond hair fly into his cerulean eyes wildly, as if locked in some chaotic dance of golden tresses. For a while she stood stock-still, watching him with a look of admiration ever-present on her face. She absent-mindedly flicked a lock of brunette hair from her matching eyes, thinking only of how much she wished she could only express in words her happiness in that moment, surrounded by friends, by love and a feeling of completion. She could lie down right there and sleep, and even the greatest dream would be a disappointment. Was it possible to be this happy so suddenly? She didn't even have that often-present feeling like it could all be taken away, because she was free now, and her destiny was fulfilled.

And then, she heard the words that froze her heart and brought forth a fear she would never be able to explain.

"Jesus Christ! Something just hit the copter!"

She looked through the window of the airship, and yelped out a almost whispered scream.

In the copter, Elena mirrored that scream as the aircraft began to spiral downward faster and faster. Rude was locked in a phase of complete concentration, trying desperately to steer the helicopter as it fell earthwards, and Reno was swearing and digging around for something, probably a weapon.

"What in hells name was that?" Reno demanded.

"I don't know." Rude murmured, barely seeming to be thinking about what he was saying.

Elena turned to him, her face contorted with fear. "Tentacles, or tendrils or something! How did anything reach us up here?"

With a jolt, a searing pain shot up her shoulder, and she screamed again. Clutching her shoulder, she realized that the copter'd hit ground and bashed into the dashboard. She'd done better than Reno, at least, who'd smashed his face into Rude's seat in front of him. His lip was bleeding, and there was now an ugly bruise on his cheek.

"God @%#& me! What in #%@#&%# hell was that for, Rude?"

Rude grunted and ignored him. "Get out of the copter! Now!"

Elena opened the door and obeyed fearfully, with Reno following and licking his split lip and Rude watching the ground. As they watched, something – some greenish beam of something or other, reached out and overtook the helicopter, crushing it. 

Then, it began to sink into the earth, with the tendril of whatever dragging it into the depths of the planet. Within moments, it was gone. 

With a start, Elena realized that whatever that had been had come from deep under the soil, and swallowed the copter down a seemingly endless pit.

"Oh my god." Reno murmured.

"Look out, it's growing!"

Rude's sudden shout sent Elena's brown eyes to the pit, which was growing, pieces of earth falling in and increasing its size. With a squeal, she felt her strong legs begin to pull her away. She tried to look back at it, and tripped over a root.

"Oof." She swore, and scrambled to her feet, but suddenly the hair on her neck rose as she felt ground shifting under her feet.

"Elena!" Reno cried. Suddenly, she was falling…falling…

With pure instinct, she reached out to the edge of the hole, trying to no avail to pull herself up. The ground was beginning to crumble.

And then, two warm, black-gloved hands grabbed hers, and she felt the muscles in the palm and wrist writhe as she was pulled slightly upwards.

"Reno, help!" She cried to her savoir. Her heart was beating painfully in her chest, and she felt light-headed from screaming and breathing at a seeming double speed.

"I'm – trying!" Reno gritted his teeth and she saw him close his eyes and pull backwards. With a yelp, the ground broke under his feet, and he fell to his stomach. Elena felt herself swing out and hit the wall of the hole hard. Her shoulder hurt like hell breaking loose, but she hardly noticed.

"Let go, you're gonna fall!" She said suddenly, realizing that Reno was sliding farther and farther over the edge.

Reno suddenly fell down a ways, and Elena felt herself slide sharply downward and hit the wall again. And then, she was falling down much farther. With a gasp, she saw that with the sudden weight and crumbling ground, Reno had been jerked over the side.

With Reno struggling to hold the edge and her hand, and her swinging half-hazardously, she tried to scream and nothing escaped her thin, ruby-red lips. And then, something struck her between her shoulder blades with a burning pain like that of the poke of a branding iron, and she saw that the greenish mass of energy was slamming into her, threatening to pull her down the pit.

"Oh crap." 

At the sudden sound of Reno's voice, the two of them were suddenly falling, deeper and deeper into the heart of the planet…

Authors note: Well, it's quarter after midnight (which I've discovered is somehow my favourite time to write) and the stories finally getting somewhere. I hope you like it at least a little, and please stay tuned for the next chapter, it would mean a lot to me! Adios!

Oh, PS: If you're wondering about the name of the chapter, I think "Nightmares beginning" is the name of one of the FF7 soundtrack songs, though I'm not positive. Anyway, I heard it somewhere, if you recognize it ;)


	3. Guilty Conscience

Chapter 3 – Guilty Conscience

And I… just wish that I didn't feel 

Like there was something I missed.

And I… take back all the things I said,

To make you feel like that.

And I… just wish that I didn't feel

Like there was something I missed.

And I…take back

All the things that I said to you…

"My December" –Linkin Park

With a magnificent pain in his back, Reno hit something hard and found the air leave his lungs. His gasped lightly and slowly began to take in breaths methodically. Beside him, he heard Elena hit whatever it was they had landed on, and she made a sudden, harsh cry, doing about the same thing as Reno. 

Feeling a little light-headed, he gazed at his surroundings, years of Turk instincts coming back to him. All around him was a blinding, searingly bright green glow that seemed to disguise everything behind a sheet of luminosity. He could barely see the blond Turk beside him, and his head hurt from the brightness.

"My god!" Elena muttered, closing her eyes. "I can't see a damn thing!"

Slowly, the brightness began to die down, to the point where it was possible to adjust his eyes to it. Reno swore in amazement.

It was a long, grass-covered field that seemed to stretch for all eternity. The sky was not blue but a blackish-purple, and a soft, white orb in the sky told Reno that it must be nightime where-ever they were, though there were no stars and the sky was the wrong colour. Trees were all around, but there bark was perfectly smooth in shades of white and pale silver. The leaves were a strange, beautiful colour of blue that seemed to flow, though it seemed transparent, like some sort of magical energy. The grass was white, but not a withered, gross white but an elegant, dancing ivory.

"What the hell is this place?" Reno found his lips choke out. He looked over at Elena, and saw her gorgeous amber eyes widen in amazement. With mouth hanging slightly open, she made a sort of exhaled "Oh my god" sound.

"It's beautiful…" She said, still transfixed.

Reno nodded. "Yeah…"

Her head shook and she looked over at him. "Sorry, I kinda faded out there. What do you think it is?"

"I have no idea." He found himself tense with this feeling that something was wrong – missing. "What happened to that tentacle thing?"

"Hey, yeah! Where'd that go?" 

The whole world was inveloped in the midnight-like scenery, though it wasn't dark, like on nights when the full moon seemed to light the whole world in gentle, white moonbeams. The green energy was now no where to be found, except for the very slightest of greenish tints that seemed noticeable but not really placeable, like it hung in the air and in the trees and bushes and everything. It was as haunting as it was beautiful.

"This doesn't make sense!" Elena muttered, still gazing around. "Where is everything, it's like we just disappeared."

Reno held his head, the mother of migraines singing in an off-key voice in his mind. "All I remember is falling."

"How far could be have fallen? Omigod, do you think we died or something?"

Reno smiled, his radiant eyes closed as he shuddered away another wave of pain in his brain. "Come on Elena, that's ridiculous. We just – uh…"

She didn't say anything, seeming kind of embarrassed at even mentioning something like that, and Reno felt a little guilty. He also felt pissed off at himself for being unable to place what it was that had happened to them. But he had no ideas.

"Well, whaddya think? Should we stay here or try to find some information…" Reno gazed out, unable to see any life for miles. "…somewhere…"

"Shh…calm down, Tifa." Cloud said consolingly as Tifa wept on his shoulder. She couldn't help it. The shock of seeing the copter fall, and then Elena and Reno falling down into the hole…it was too much for her. Feeling slightly better taking in the warmth of Cloud's body, she felt him slowly stroke her back, murmuring gentle words.

"What the flying @%#& was that?" Tifa heard Cid shouting at someone, probably himself.

"It was like some kinda octopus-y tentacle-y thingy." Yuffie replied in her adolescent-sounding voice.

"Great! That's just great, Yuffie! Goddamit!" Cid began to swear venomously.

Tifa ignored him, trying to calm herself and feeling the gentle, gloved hand on her back stroking her soothingly. Finally, she managed to control herself enough to sniffle and turn around, surveying what had happened. 

The ground had stopped growing, at least. Rude and Vincent were at the edge of the pit, both silently analyzing the thing with the quick minds.

"I'm going after them." Rude said finally.

"And how the hell do you plan to do that?" Cid demanded.

Rude shrugged. "Can the Highwind fit down there?"

"It might." Cid considered it a second, then barked. "If my ship gets busted going after your stupid friends, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Cid!" Shera moaned with her pleading eyes locked on him.

"Alright, _alright!_ Come on, let's get our rears in gear then!" 

Cid, Shera and Yuffie ran into the Highwind quickly. Cloud looked at Tifa. 

"Stay here, okay? It might be dangerous."

Tifa shook her head, feeling a little angry but understanding the motives of his words. "No, I'm coming."

Cloud's mako-infused eyes looked troubled, but he nodded. "Alright, but try and be careful, okay?"

They were about to enter the Highwind when Rude gave a sudden runt of surprise. Turning, Tifa saw the huge hole suddenly begin to fill up somehow, shortening and shortening. Within moments, it was nearly impossible to tell there had _been _a pit there.

Cloud ran over to the Highwind to tell Cid, while Tifa ran to Vincent and Rude. Both were silent but looked forlorn.

"Damn." Rude finally said. "Goddamit all!"

Tifa was surprised at the harsh anger in his voice, and found that even behind his sunglasses, his expression was clearly one of a pain greater than she could possibly hope to understand. She knew the Turks were close, but…

And then, for a single moment, a million sorrowful thoughts were visible on his normally stoic face. Tifa was amazed. 

She remembered when, in Wutai, they had teamed up to look for Elena and Yuffie, though they refused to call it a partnership for some petty reason. Reno and Rude had been completely fixated on finding Elena, it was pretty amazing. She'd never before considered that they could care about each other so much.

And now, for that single moment, she could see past the sunglasses and into those invisible eyes, and see his thoughts and griefs. He was alone, all so suddenly. And his only friends in the world were gone, to hell knew where, with no hope of rescue. She suddenly felt a strong pity for him that almost brought tears to her eyes.

She put a hand on his shoulder, and he froze noticeably. 

"It's okay, we'll find them." She said.

He looked at her emotionlessly and gave a small grunt of agreement. If she could have seen the bright hazel eyes behind the sunglasses, she may have saw the single flash of gratefulness that shimmered through them.

Reno was passed being amazed by his surroundings. He stomped through the ivory-coloured grass, his arms crossed and his arctic eyes icy and staring blankly ahead as if the ground before him held all the secrets known to mankind. He was briefly aware of Elena beside him, walking quickly to keep up with him, and trying desperately to look professional.

He wanted to say something rude to her, but something kept him from it. Maybe it was anger, or the sinking feeling of helplessness. Or maybe he was worried that she was hiding her fright, and he would somehow erupt the dams of her emotions that she had put up.

Ahead of them, there was nothing but grass.

Finally, Reno snapped.

"This is so _stupid!_ There's nothing for miles, and we have no idea where we are! We might as well just have sat there waiting for someone to find us!"

Seething with only partially controlled anger, he flicked back a wiry strand of his scarlet hair and glared at the ground.

"We'll find something soon, I know it…" Elena said hopefully, though she sounded doubtful.

"Come on Elena, face it! We're screwed! We're just @#%^ing screwed and it's all my damn fault!" He suddenly stopped, and leaned against a white-barked tree.

Elena said nothing, and he could tell she was watching him, deciding what to say that wouldn't anger him more. 

But now he couldn't stop venting his anger upon his unfortunate partner. "Life was just so damn perfectwhen Tseng was around! He knew exactly what to do and say all the time, he never _once _did something like this. Ever since he damn well let himself get skewered by that goddamn bastard, Sephiroth, we've just been slipping farther and farther down the toilet! And it's all my fault, dammit! You guys depended on me to make the decisions, and I blew it, just like I blow everything!"

Reno was amazed that he had let himself become so unprofession all the sudden, especially in front of Elena. And of course, this just made him angrier, and more ashamed. But it was true. Ever since the day they saw three soldiers dragging there ex-boss back to them, he knew that he would have to take over, hell knew Rude couldn't and Elena was too much of a rookie. And ever since then things had gotten worse and worse, from the lecherous whore-monger, Corneo, getting Elena, to Rufus dying. And it was all his fault.

"Reno, it's not your fault. I was the one that fell down in that pit, you tried to save me, remember? If it wasn't for you, I'd probably still be back there with no idea what to do."

Reno lifted his head and looked over at her, suddenly having no idea what to say. He watched her watch him, her almond eyes scanning him over and flicking back and forth nervously. 

After a long, uncomfortable silence while he floundered for something to say, he only managed to force out, "Thanks Elena. You ain't such a bad girl, y'know that?"

"Um…I try." She said, looking confused by his sudden answer.

And hell, so was he. He had never been that great to her, and in one swift kick in the balls he regretted it all. It was true, she looked to him for leadership in Tseng's absense, and all he did was critize her. What kinda dickhead was he, to do that to her?

Jesus, why was he being like this? This was totally not him! And why was he suddenly being so nice to Elena? Why was it that when he looked at her, he felt this warm feeling of affection in the forgotten organ in the left side of his chest?

"Well, let's go. I'm gonna find someone out there, and we're gonna get back, a'ight?" 

Elena smiled lightly, and nodded.

You know, she isn't really all that bad looking if you actually look at her… 

Taken completely by surprise by these thoughts, he turned away and began to walk forward in the direction they were going, hoping for all gods sake his face wasn't reddening.

But it _was _true. With her soft blond hair falling down attractively into her big, spiritful russet eyes, and her small nose casting shadows at odd intervals across her thin face, she wasn't bad to look at, almost to the point of being very beautiful. 

Reno silently wondered what was happening to him. 

 Just moments after Tifa, Vincent and Rude got into the Highwind, Cloud's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Cloud?" The voice on the other line was Barett's, and he sounded simply beaten.

"Barret? Geez man, what's wrong?"

"Marlene! Goddamit all, something got Marlene!"

Authors note: That was a bit of a shorter chapter, but it was a fun one to write for some reason. I love writing about Reno and Elena's personalities, even though they are somewhat difficult to do. If anyone has even read this story yet, sorry about the wait.  =p

_Well, what will Rude do now? What's happening between Reno and Elena? And what of Marlene? Please stick around to find out!_


	4. I think I heard you say you loved me...

Chapter 4 – I thought I heard you say you loved me

For Kya Lorne, Tigerofthewind, Krystalclear and um -  "…" the anony. Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou for letting me know not to stop!! xD

Well I guess she closed her eyes 

And just imagined everything was alright.

But she could not hide her tears.

Because they were sent to wash away those years.

"Wash away those years" -Creed

"Whoa! Slow down Barret! What happened?"

Cloud heard only harsh breathing on the other line for a few moments. Then, Barret began to speak.

"We was goin' for a walk. Den alla da sudden, this big blue – naw, wait – green, yeah, some green thing came outta da ground, and it got Marlene, and den – I couldn't getter back, Cloud, dammit!"

Cloud felt his stomach tighten up as Barret finished.

"Cloud?"

At Barret's voice, he realized he hadn't spoken a reply.

"Barret, the same thing happened to us. It got Reno and Elena."

"The hell were they there for?"

Cloud found himself irritated by Barret's reply and shouted. "Does it matter?" He calmed himself, and then added. "I'm sorry, just a little stressed. Damn…what are we gonna do?"

"Hey, you da boss."

"I know I know. You at Corel? I'll get Cid to pick you, Red and Reeve up, and we should think of a plan then."

"A'ight, but hurry."

Cloud turned off the phone with a beep and sighed, holding a hand to his head and closing his eyes for a moment. He leaned against a wall. "This is not my idea of a friendly visit."

"So who'm I picking up an' why?" Cid asked.

"Barret." Cloud said. "The thing got Marlene."

He heard Tifa try to conceal a gasp, and Yuffie's jaw dropped. "What? When? Where?"

Cloud frowned, "Corel, just now."

"The green thing, it wasn't just a random monster than." Vincent said slowly.

"Then what was it, smartboy?" Yuffie demanded. Her big eyes fixed on the ebony-haired man, and he shrugged, his amber eyes cool and thoughtful.

"It was too much of a coincidence that Reno, Elena and Marlene were all taken at the same time. But if it was planned by someone, why only them?"

"You mean you think others were taken too?" Cloud asked.

"Precisely."

"Hmmm…" Rude muttered, more in a discontented voice than a curious one. "You guys have no reason to help. I'm going after them."

"You joking?" Yuffie asked.

"They took Marlene!" Cid added fiercely.

"I'll bring her back too." Rude began to walk away.

"Hey, don't get cocky, Turk! You think you gonna take who-or-whatever it was by yourself?"

"If that's what it takes."

"How do you know where to go?" Cloud asked, suddenly curious. 

"When the green thing attacked us, someone was watching in the shadows. When he got away, he left this."

Rude held up a piece of cloth for them to see. It was the dark green of evergreen trees, and bore a strange symbol that seemed to be a blue crystal rose in front of the full moon.

"That was the ruin of the Cetra, in ancient times." Vincent observed tonelessly.

"Yeah." Rude put it back in his pocket.

"What does that mean?" Tifa asked, and she fixed an inquisitive stare on Rude, with her big, optimistic eyes wide and shimmering in the multiple yellow lights hung in the Highwinds roof.

As it sunk into Cloud's brain, an immense feeling of sorrow and pain entered his mind. It couldn't be. The Final resting place of a creature of so much purity and elegance couldn't be their destination. The place he swore he would never return to. The words fell slowly from his lips with the agony of a reopened wound best left alone: "We have to go to the Ancient's City."

Tifa watched the ground coming closer and closer as the Highwind approached the desert city of North Corel. It hadn't taken long to get there from Nibelheim, and she was glad. 

Beside her, Cloud was lost in thought, and she knew what he was thinking.

Aeris. She'd had been one of Tifa's closest friends, right from the start. She was so sweet, so pure, so – angelic. And even after two years since the fall of the Cetra angel, the thoughts of her brought unshed tears to Tifa's eyes. The memory of her, praying on the altar, trying to save the Earth from Meteor and carrying her fate as a private burden no one could have known about, it was too much. And then, the sudden rip of clothing and flesh, and the briefest whisper as she fell back to Earth and died at the hands of Sephiroth, at the embrace of the Masamune. 

Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help feeling jealous. She would have been the perfect love for Cloud, Tifa couldn't compete with her. But now that the competition was gone, did she feel any better?

Cid was at the wheel of the Highwind, seeming happy to be in the air. She could tell in the glimmer of his sky-blue eyes. Shera and him were discussing something, though Tifa couldn't make it out.

Yuffie was sitting in a chair and trying not to throw up, Tifa assumed. She still looked green, but she was getting better at flying. That was good.

Vincent was sitting beside her with his arms folded across his chest, deep in thought as he so often did in flight. Perhaps the steady rhythm of the airship soaring through the air made it impossible for him _not _to think about whatever it was that seemed to hurt him so much.

Rude was leaning against a wall, saying and doing nothing. Tifa understood, he was worried about his friends. She had done the same thing many times, just sitting staring lifelessly at things and hardly even breathing, let alone engaging in thought or speech. She still felt pity for him, the almost photographic memory of the look on his face earlier staying with her. The anger, fear, and raw emotion was so amazing, especially on his solemn face.

She turned and gazed out of the glass of the Highwind at the clouds as they passed by, thinking about many things. The Turks were one thing. Aeris was another. But soon thought was too hard, she was just thinking in circles. Giving up, she walked over to Cid. She waited until Cid and Shera finished talking about something or other, then asked: 

"Hey, how long until we get to Corel?"

"A few minutes. Why?"

"I don't know. I'm just – worried about Marlene I suppose."

Cid nodded, his eyes taking on the pale shade of blue that seemed to be associated with the flashes of Cid-wisdom he adopted every once in awhile, usually when his mind wasn't full of nicotine. "Barret'll be crushed if we don't get'er back. I ain't sayin' we won't, but, y'know, stay on the lookout, eh?"

Tifa nodded, sensing there was more to his words than she expected. 

"There's Corel." Shera said, pointing.

Cid nodded, and began to steer the Highwind lower, towards the barren deserts of Corel.

 Elena felt her legs tightening and seizing up as she trekked ever onward after her companion in the sunless world. Her weakness angered her; she _hated _looking like such a rookie. 

Tseng. He had never been like the other Turks; he had never treated her like a rookie Turk. Like some stupid wannabe. 

The memory of his face stayed hidden behind her eyes with the clarity of a crystal dream. Everything about him had been so perfect; his beautiful eyes, his calm expression, his pale face alight with competence and strength and compassion. The melodious sound of his voice would stay fresh in her ears forever. 

She remembered the day in the Tower in Midgar when Rufus had approached them. To Tseng, he asked to go to the Temple of the Ancients and find Sephiroth. To Elena, he said nothing. 

She had felt angry, discouraged, violent and heartbroken all at once. The one chance she thought she'd be able to go with Tseng and prove her worth, and Rufus had basically told her to stay outta the way while the _real _professionals worked. Reeve, bless him, had tried to console her and tell her that it was okay, but she had just snapped something best left unrepeated at him and stalked off. 

As the leader of the Turks left, he _did _speak to her. Even now, more than two years later, the words still echoed in her mind.

_"Visit me, okay? I'll need a little cheerfulness in that temple."_

Then he told her to tell Rufus it was a "Report on her progress," and he left. All at once, her spirit soared with intense joy. Cheerfulness? He actually _liked _having her around? It boggled the mind.

Four days later, she _did _visit him at the temple. And he asked her to dinner when he came back.

The joy was unexplainable. She had spent the whole time until their supposed dinner trying desperately to look good, with various Shinra people teasing or encouraging her. Scarlet seemed to think she got lucky. Reeve told her to relax and enjoy herself. Rude, surprisingly enough, had told her how nice she looked, and that Tseng had wanted to ask her out for a while. Elena, overcome with sudden happiness, had wrapped her arms around his neck and told him how wonderful he was. She was sure _that _had surprised him, but she didn't care. She was on top of the world, everything else was pitiful.

She waited for him for an hour and a half, all the while feeling more and more humiliated and jerked that he could be so cruel as to cancel, especially without telling her. Finally, she went up to her temporary residence within the Tower and cried until her chest hurt.

And then, the next day, her and Rude had trekked up to the Temple, curious at the reports that their ebony-haired leader hadn't been seen since he went up there.

The sight of him, sitting against a wall with his eyes closed in death and his skin pale and covered in crimson flow put her into hysterics. At first, she hadn't believed it, thinking that it _had _to be untrue. It was someone else, or she was having a nightmare, or he was just sleeping, though the blood told otherwise. And then, she was angry. Angry at herself, at Rude, and at Tseng even, for getting himself killed. She ran over to him, tears streaming down her cheeks though she didn't care.

"Tseng! Tseng, god no! Wake up!"

She barely heard as Rude walked up beside her, saying nothing, fearing to do anything lest he hurt her. She reached down and touched the overly pale face, willing with all her heart that he would wake up. Why couldn't he see how much she wanted him to wake up?

She closed her eyes and hugged him close to her, wishing for all the world not to be here, but not having the heart to leave him there. After a few minutes, Rude put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm sorry, Lena."

As he had most likely expected, she turned on him angrily and shouted. "Get away from me!" 

He stayed by her side, with his hand on her shoulder, not moving. His face was sympathetic, but she knew he was bleeding internally, just like her. Bleeding and hating.

"Cloud!" She said suddenly. "It was Cloud and his goddamn friends! THAT BASTARD!!"

Rude, as usual, said nothing. And she stood, slowly, and turned on him again.

"THAT STUPID SHIT!! I'LL KILL HIM!"

And to illustrate her point, she turned and kicked the wall, ignoring the pain. What did it matter? It was nothing compared to the pain in her heart and soul.

She heard a moan, and through a brief moment of instable sanity, she thought it was Cloud and growled, her eyes roving the darkness like a predator, like a tigress.

And then Rude dove to the ground, and the moment was gone. She looked down, and saw twin Wutainese eyes staring up at her, half-closed and in a pain she would never know.

"Elena…" Tseng muttered, and coughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound. 

"Tseng!" Elena and Rude cried as one. 

An undisurnable sound erupted from his throat, and he coughed again. His side was split in a huge, thin wound horrifically, one that only could have been done by a very large blade. Cloud's blade.

"You're alive! Hold on, we're gonna help you!" 

Tseng shook his head and grunted, obviously trying not to let them know his pain. How kind. How stupid and how kind.

"Rude…" Cough. "Take care'a Reno."

Rude nodded. He'd seen lots of death before; he knew that Tseng was past saving. Elena wouldn't believe that, not until the end.

She briefly thought he had forgotten her, until the eyes turned on her, and locked with her own. She felt tears rise again, but hardly noticed. 

"I'm sorry…about last night." Tseng's voice was so slow, so pained. How could he still be alive?

"No. Don't be." Elena heard a heavy sob fall from her throat and she tried to smile despite herself. How kind. How stupid and how kind.

He smiled too, and she saw blood at the side of his mouth.

"Can't – help it. I was looking f-forward to it." He sighed. "I wish I coulda looked after you better. Ahh…"

He closed his eyes tightly, and with them still closed, she watched him sink away. Farther and farther away…

Through his final breaths, she thought she heard him say he loved her…

Authors Note: **(**cries) Tseng and Elena are perhaps the best couple (waits for the Sephiroth/Aeris fans to kill her) This chapter was a bit pointless, but I can't help it, I just started typing about the death scene and couldn't stop. Hope you liked it though.


	5. New losses, New Recruits

Chapter 5 – New losses, new recruits

_Maybe life is like a ride on a freeway?_

_Dodging bullets while you're trying _

_To find your way._

_Everyone's around, but no one does a damn thing,_

_It brings me down, but I won't let them._

_If I seem bleak, well then you'd be correct._

_And if I don't speak, it's cuz I can't disconnect, _

_But I won't be burned by,_

_The fire in your eyes…_

_"Staring at the Sun" –The Offspring_

Reno felt a gracious breeze of wind blow through his scarlet hair, chilling the beads of sweat on his pale face. Adjusting the jacket tied precariously on his hips, he was surprised at how hot it was, even though the sky remained dark as ash.

It had been a long walk, and he panted heavily, sucking in air greedily. Elena had, fortunately, put on a brave face when he asked that they keep going, pretending she didn't mind. Soon, they would find somewhere. It just made sense, right? Soon…soon…soon…

I became a chant as he carried on. He wanted nothing more than to sit down with a very cold drink. Hell, he would drink _fruit juice _right now (god forbid,) it was so hot. But, he had to carry on. For Elena. He couldn't fail her. Gotta carry on. Soon…Gotta carry on. Soon…

The grass was light and bouncy under Reno's boots, but he was still weary and tired. And he was suspicious that they had seen nothing since they fell from the chasm. Surely _something _lived down here, right?

He felt like taking off his white muscle shirt too, but felt strangely self conscious. It would probably freak out Elena too.

_"Don't even _think _it!" _His mind commanded.

"Hey, what's that?" Elena asked suddenly, pointing at a figure silhouetted in the moonlight.

"Looks like a – cat? The hecks a wildcat doin' here?"

The creature turned it's shadowly head towards them and it's eyes flashed. At first, it was the normal amber-coloured glimmer that alley cat's eyes reflected in the light; and then it became more like two curved, orange streetlights or something, though more milky and obviously more natural.

It slowly approached them, and Reno began to pull a shotgun from a holster on his hip, though he almost dropped it trying to pull it free of the jacket.

"Reno! We can probably scare it off!" Elena protested. She picked up a rock and threw it at the cat, which Reno saw was some sort of panther or something. The rock bounced off it's head, and it barely moved.

Reno glaced at her with a smirk, and she muttered, "Okay, carry on."

The fiery Turk nodded and sent a couple bullets at it. It looked as though they would hit, and then the creature jumped neatly aside and dodged them. He tried again, to the same effect.

Now it had walked right up to them, and all thoughts that it was a simple panther was gone. Dark, lethal horns adjorned it's feline head, long claws gripped the ground from it's paws, and blood-soaked spikes flashed on it's legs and back.

It pounced and knocked Elena over, snarling and biting. With a minimal amount of thought, Reno dropped the gun, pulled off his nightstick from the other hip, and beat it down on the creature. The panther only turned and bore it's almost beautiful orange eyes on him. With a growl, Reno beat it over the head and, focusing his energy, released a wave of electricity into it. The thing shuddered, stunned.

"Are you okay?" Reno asked, helping Elena up.

She nodded. "It just startled me."

Reno didn't notice as she hid her bleeding arm behind her back.

"Let's get out of here." He said. In the excitement, he also didn't notice that he was holding her hand still.

Nearly tripping over a lone raven that skipped away with a squawk, the two began again through the gentle moonlight. The panther didn't move.

"What business have you with Nanaki?" 

The thick accent of the Canyon gatekeeper lashed out thickly at them, full of distrust. This agrivated Rude, but he, as usual, kept his mouth shut. This was not his alleyway, Cloud could deal with the man, who looked young, about Yuffie's age.

"We need to speak with him, urgently." Cloud replied. 

The gatekeeper snickered. "Yeah, right. Well, for your information, Nanaki is unavailable."

Cid looked at the kid, and sneered. "Right kid. Just get outta the #(&#ing way and let us through, okay? I don't care a rats ass whether you want to or not."

"You're not coming through."

"Like hell we're not!" Yuffie laughed cruely, "Don't make me force my way in!"

"Is that a threat?"

The gatekeeper glared, his eyes half-closing, and drew forth a long, curved sword that looked like some sort of scimitar by Rude's reconing. He mentally groaned, kids like this were never fun. No one wanted to hurt the little brat.

"Do you want it to be?" Barett held up his gun arm and shouted.

"Why don't you tell me?" The kid continued to glare, though fear was evident in his eyes.

With a soft grunt, Vincent stepped forward from behind Cloud and growled gently but firmly. "No, you don't it to be. Now move."

Rude's eyes flickered up, and he saw two figures approaching, there colours darkened by his glasses. One was a man of about middle age, his hair already turning silver. The other was a tall, red haired woman of about Elena's age that at the same time reminded the stoic Turk of both his partners. Maybe he was thinking about them too much.

The man looked at the gatekeeper and said, "Stop this now! There is no need for violence!"

He looked to Rude and AVALANCHE and said, "I'm so sorry. My name is Haron, and this is Shaela." He looked back to the gatekeeper. "Kevin, what is the problem?" *

The kid, Kevin, shook his head sheepishly. "They're trying to break in."

"You ingrate! We just want to see Red XIII!" Yuffie hollered.

"Red XIII? You must be AVALANCHE!" Haron exclaimed. "So sorry, so sorry, but Nana-Red isn't here now."

"What happened?" Tifa asked worriedly, and Rude was amazed at how beautiful she looked in the sunlight. Especially those amber eyes…

Stoppit.

The woman, Shaela, stared fiercly up at the sun, and her voice came to them, fluent, sharp and dangerous. Once again, she reminded Rude of Reno. "Some green monster got him."

Rude nodded. "I understand. It happened to my friends too."

"And my daughter!" Barett snarled.

"Are you going after them?" Haron asked suddenly. 

Cloud nodded. "Yes, we are."

"Get Nanaki back for us. Please."

"He's our friend, mister Haron. We'll make sure he get's back safe and sound." Tifa smiled and tried to look optimistic, though Rude could tell she was just covering up her distress. He respected that, more than she could know. Just looking at that pretty face, Rude felt like he _could _get his friends back. In fact, he knew it.

Tifa pushed back a lock of hair, and there eyes met. Rude immediately looked away, and turned his head to Haron and Shaela, hoping she hadn't caught her staring. Humiliation overtook him, and he pushed it away with all his other emotions.

"I going to come with you then." 

The silent Turk's head jerked over to look at her, and she was watching Cloud carefully. 

"What? Why the hell you wanna come?" Cid asked.

"Nanaki is my leader, I have to save him." The Canyon woman fixed Cid with a dark stare. "And make sure certain people don't get lost trying to find him."

Vincent, surprisingly, seemed to approve. "We need all the help we can get, we don't know how strong this thing is."

Cloud shrugged. "Sure, welcome aboard miss Shaela."

The ivory grass and trees of silver, blue and white had at first seemed enchanting and oddly motivating, but after all this walking, their charm was lost on Elena by the monotony of the world around them. They were about an hours walk/jog from the panther, and back to the seeming endless plains. Elena felt exasperated by the grass. Stupid grass, why'd it have to go on so long? Stupid grass. Stupid plains. Stupid green tendril. Stupid Reno.

Stupid stupid stupid!

As she chanted the word through her mind and seethed with silent rage, she didn't notice Reno stop suddenly and ploughed right into him, her face hitting the taller man between the shoulder blades. He hissed a curse in surprise, and turned on her with a glare.

"Quiet! I saw something!"

The aggrivation immediately left Elena as fear took it's place deep in her mind. Yes, there was something out there, hidden by trees. Human, most likely, at least it seemed to be a fagely humanoid, bipedal being. It was hidden almost entirely by shadow, under the white tree with the silver leaves.

"Reno and Elena of the Turks." A whispy, harsh voice drifted to their waiting ears, dripping with knowledge and venom. "I should have known before…"

And with a sudden cry, Reno fell to his face in the dirt, lunged at by a creature of black that Elena realized was some sort of wolf, though it shared the horns and the spikes in it's legs and back that the panther had had. It bared it's teeth with it's tail down and it's ears back, and leapt away from Reno's fallen form.

But Elena was distracted by the figure in the trees as it approached. It was inhumanly graceful and made no sound as it walked slowly and methodically towards them. Seeing it, the wolf backed away, and lied on the ground with a half-hearted snarl, awaiting the signal to attack again.

It was a tall, slender man of about six feet, and looked to be around twenty six years of age, though there was a timelessness in his eyes, which were an odd colour, violet. Also odd was his hair, which was the same exotic, shimmering silver of the trees and grass. He wored black leather armour and a long, deadly looking spear hung across his back, held on by a leather strap. He looked deep into Elena's eyes, and she noticed that his pupils were not round, but slitted like a cats. Violet and slitted, a strange combination.

"Who the hell are you?" Elena demanded. 

His voice came again, smooth and cold as liquid ice. "I am Feliyui. Please follow me, and you won't be harmed."

Elena was instantly cautious. "Why?"

"That is not of your consern at this moment."

"We're the Turks! We're not going to do what you say!" Elena forced the words out, trying to sound frightening though she was terrified of both the wolf and it's strange master.

"So be it."

And he drew the spear and lunged, aiming with lethal accuracy at Elena. With a cry, she leapt out of the way, but she still felt it graze her arm. She clutched it, and pulled a shotgun from a his holster. 

"Big mistake!" She cried, and clenched her fists, and began to murmer strange words under her breath, words written in a language she did not know but had memorized perfectly.

She heard a grunt as Reno and the man, Feliyui, fought, but she blocked it from her mind. She focused only on the ancient words.

Reno was surprised. The man was not only good with that bloody big javelin of his, but he was fast on his feet, faster than Reno. Reno tried to bash him over the head with the nightstick, but Feliyui artfully dodged under it. He then tried to bring it down on the man, but once again missed the avasive attacker.

Then, Feliyui suddenly dropped on all fours like an animal, and leapt, driving the spear forward. Reno had only time to swear as the thing came at him, surprisingly slowly. Surely it was pierce his heart. Damn…

And then, the silver-haired spearman's eyes widened slightly and he fell back to the ground in a crouch, grimacing. His skin was scorched in major firewounds. As he fell out of the way, Reno saw Elena smiling in satisfaction.

"Alright Elena!" Reno grinned, then began to grab at the mans arm, to pull it behind his back and pin him.

"Don't move." Feliyui commanded, and Reno saw why immediately.

The cat-eyed man had a woman suddenly on his arms, and he held his spear up to her neck. She screamed, and her bright green eyes pleaded out at the Turks.

"Reno!" She cried, an auburn braid falling over one shoulder, and her full red lips moving slowly. "Reno, help me!"

_* Shaela is the name of a character in an upcoming novel I'm doing, and Kevin is my cousins name, hehehe. Haron? Well, I was thinking birds… _

_Authors note: I have no idea what the lyrics at the top have to do with anything, but they were the closest I could get to Shaela's personality, which we'll see more of soon, eh? ^.^_

_This chapter was long a tedious to write, but I hope it's got you excited, because the next one is a fighting one. Yay! If anyone is actually reading this, and waiting for new chapters, I love you, you're the best. _

_Also, my next chapters may take awhile, school starts the day after tommorow. (sighs) Oh, hurray._

_Come on, keeep reading. xD  -------- _


	6. Return of an Angel

Chapter 6 – Return of an Angel

Too much is not enough.

_Nobody gave it up._

_I'm not the kind_

_To lay down and die._

_Adrenaline keeps me in the game._

_Adrenaline, you don't even feel the pain._

_Wilder than your wildest dreams._

_When your going to extremes, it takes adrenaline…_

Cloud looked around the Highwind, and was upset by the amount of sad faces the looked back at him. The loss of Red XIII on top of everything else was certainly not a moral-raising discovery.

"Okay." He said aloud, raising his voice. "So far we know Red XIII, Marlene, Reno and Rude have all disappeared…"

Shaela looked confused at the last three names, but didn't say anything. Cloud would have to fill her in afterwards.

"…We don't know _why _those individuals have been taken, even if _taken _is the word to use. And all we know is that we might find something in the – city of the ancients."

The spiky-haired man hoped that the others would not hear the falter in his voice at the last words, but he recovered quickly.

"How do we know that no one else was taken?" Yuffie asked suddenly, and it surprised Cloud. She had a point. 

The same thought seemed to reach Tifa and Rude at the same time. "Reeve!"

Cloud smacked his forehead. Of course he knew that Cait Sith was the last AVALANCHE member unaccounted for, but he had figured that Cait was kind of – immune, since he was just a robot. He hadn't even considered Reeve. And what if innocent civilians were taken?

"Well, c'mon, pick a goddamn destination!" Cid muttered. "I thought we was goin' to the city of the ancients."

"No." Cloud said. "Head for Midgar, we have to find Reeve and see if he's okay."

Behind him, he heard Rude explaining who Reeve, the other Turks and Marlene were to Shaela. She listened patiently, but seemed to know little of things out of the canyon. Only what Red had told her, apparently.

As the Highwind sped to Midgar, a sudden question leapt to Cloud's mind. "Rude, how do you know who Marlene is?"

If possible, Rude's frown got deeper. "You won't want to hear this."

"What?"

"When Aeris was taken prisoner in the Shinra Tower, I spoke to her briefly. She told me about how she had hid a girl named Marlene at her house, and that we could not touch the girl. She hadn't said whose daughter it was, she just said a friends, but I figured it was either you, Tifa or Barett's."

"Oh." Cloud said simply. Rude was right, the added memories of Aeris' capture was nothing Cloud wanted to hear. But Rude _had_ warned him.

Cloud was glad they were going to Midgar. He strongly dreaded going back to the hidden land past the sleeping forest.

Reno took a moment to realize who it was that was in Feliyui's arms. Yet, her gentle green eyes. It had been a long time since he saw _her._

"Aeris?" He cried out.

"Reno, help me!" Aeris wimpered. The spear began to break skin as Reno approached, and she yelped. A single bead of blood dripped down her neck.

"Reno, who is this?" Elena said. 

Reno looked at her. "She was with AVALANCHE. Don't you remember the flower girl?"

"Flower girl?" Elena's eyes half closed in thought, then widened. "Oh yeah! You let her go Feliyui!"

"I told you to follow me." Feliyui deadpanned, seeming uncaring of the girl that had seemed to appear from no where. "Drop your weapons and come peacefully, and this woman won't be harmed."

"Put her down now." Reno growled.

"Drop the weapons!"

"No, that's not on my schedule today." Reno smirked, clutching his nightstick firmly.

More blood began to fall from Aeris' neck, and she screamed.

Like a bull staring into the cape of a matador*, the sight of the blood enraged Reno. How dare this creep hurt the flower girl?

With a mix between a grunt and scream, Reno leapt towards the man and brought the nightstick towards him. The training on rescueing captives leeched away from his mind as the lust for blood crept up. 

Perhaps it was the eyes, those green eyes that so much resembled his younger sisters. The more he looked, the more he saw not Aeris but Ceres, her big eyes and fiery hair staring pleadingly up at him.

The man briefly didn't know what to do, than began to plunge again into Aeris' neck. And then, he fell over onto his face with a muffled cry, and Aeris disappeared from his arms.

Elena held the woman close, and was speaking softly to her. Good thing Elena had remembered to keep cool, or she might be dead. Reno felt stupid for going crazy like that. She had nearly endangered Aeris' life. 

It didn't occur to Reno that Aeris was already dead, killed at the hands of Sephiroth. Of course not. 

With a bestial snarl, Reno beat down on the man's neck with the nightstick, waiting for the satisfactory snap. He hit the ground, and stared with surprise. He felt a fist smash into his head from behind, and the thoughts were knocked into his mind. The man had moved, and somehow got behind Reno. Crap.

Yet, from all those sparring practises with Rude, the blow didn't give him anything but a nice little shake up and a brief confusion. He turned, and kicked out for whatever he could hit. He blissfully hoped it was the mans crotch. 

But no, he hit a leg. Of all the places he coulda hit the guy, it was in the shin. The two of them both grimaced with pain, and Reno instantly felt like an idiot. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aeris pulling back a potion, but all it did was stop the bleeding. She would still have a nice scar.

Reno turned and began to focus his energy into the nightstick, as he was good at doing. Forget putting the man in a pyramid, it was time for something a little bit better.

Energy bubbled in his mind and through his fingertips, and he slowly opened his eyes and gave a quick, dangerous smirk. 

"Turk light." He murmured in lethal voice that matched his sneer. Then, three intense red blasts launched from his nightstick towards Feliyui. He felt his skin throbbing at the extreme heat, and sweat ran down his face, making it feel like he was melting or some strange thing like that.

The three fireballs hit the ground. The man was gone. 

But as Feliyui staggered back from the fireballs, he accidently fell prey to Aeris and Elena. Aeris, having no weapon with her, began to chant, and Elena took out the shotgun and fired, hitting him in the leg near where Reno had kicked him. 

Despite the odds against him, Feliyui was not doing badly. In fact, he was doing just fine, seeming unphased by the attack. Crap again. 

And just like that, he took the hulking big spear of his and stabbed down at Elena. She screamed as it pierced her skin. 

"No." Reno muttered. His torquise eyes widened as Elena grasped at her stomach and moaned. "No Elena!"

He rushed forward, but he was too slow, and Feliyui, seeming in complete control again, dodged in the way and kicked Reno, sending him sprawling. 

One thought hit his mind like a brick. _Don't let me fall on Elena! Pleeeeeeease don't let me fall on Elena!_

And then, as if God himself was pointing and laughing, Reno heard Elena cry out again as Reno fell sprawled on top of her. He tried to get up, or at least to swear, but the air was knocked out of him and all he could do was lie there on top of Elena (in a less than dignified position) and gasp.

Elena began to choke, and her eyes rolled back. 

Reno tried his very best to do something, but his body needed air. He sat there like a stupid fish and watched her close her eyes. 

No! She couldn't be dead.

"GREAT GOSPEL!!" 

The sudden yell causes Reno to leap to his knees beside Elena with his hands in front of his face. And then, he felt a coolness rest on his weary skin, a peaceful, beautiful feeling like the comfort of a cure spell intensified by fifty. **

Elena eyes fluttered open, and the wound in her stomach closed.

Reno stood shakily and held out a hand to her. She took it and stood, just as shakily. Aeris was watching them carefully. Then, she turned to Feliyui and cried again, 

"Ultima!"

Reno had to duck again to avoid being turned into some kind of cinder as the roaring power of Ultima blasted all around them, reaking destruction. The green winds of holy energy seeked out for flesh, and Feliyui was the unfortunate victim. He grunted as his body was lifted off the ground and surrounded by the searing holy energy.

On the ground, the wolf's single yelp of surprise was drowned out as it was lifted up once and fell to the ground, dead. Aeris was consentrating with all her power of the holy energy, and Reno had the feeling that if he even breathed, she would lose control and blast him through the head with it.

And then, with another silent scream, Feliyui hit the earth again hard, and stayed there.

Elena had to dash out and grab Aeris as she threatened to fall to her knees, completely worn out by the major magical energy. 

Reno almost doubted his sanity as Feliyui slowly stood again with a grimace, and glared at them, his icy eyes now full of fire instead. 

"You leave us no choice then." He barked. "We'll come for you, you cannot hide from us!"

And then, he turned and disappeared into seeming air, which took on the slightest wavy tinge that looked suspiciously like water.

With a sigh of relief, Aeris smiled brightly. "He's gone."

Reno nodded, suddenly unaware of what to say to his ex-enemy. "Uh – are you okay?"

She nodded sweetly, and Reno felt a rush of compassion that he was sure no one could possibly resist. Yeah, this was Aeris alright. He saw why Tseng had liked her so much. 

"I'm glad I found you. The others were all brought to the city, I was sure you'd starve out there."

"Others?" Elena asked, confusion etched on her face.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, Red XIII and Marlene and Reeve."

Reno instantly came to attention. "Reeve? It got Reeve?"

"Unfortunately." Aeris said. "I'm so sorry."

"No." Elena smiled a little, and Reno felt envious that Aeris had reached the almighty honour of a smile. All he ever got were those angry little hissy fits. "It's okay. Please lead us to him."

"No! Not the stairs!" Barett and Tifa both groaned.

Rude watched them, and his lips rose slightly in what Elena called 'Rude grins.' 

"You've had experience with the stairs?" He asked, his voice still dry but slightly amused.

Cloud sighed. "Unfortunately. Well, the elevators are offline, so this is the only option."

Yuffie gulped. "There's – a lot."

Vincent and Rude exchanged glances that spoke worlds. Being Turk and former Turk, they both knew the horror that was the stairs. Most Shinra people had to scale them at least once in their lifetimes. Too bad for them.

"No goddamn way! We can't take them!" Cid growled.

Rude almost laughed at the look on Shaela's face. Buildings this high were definitely something foreign to her, the thought of this many stairs was just crazy. This was more even then there were in all of Cosmo Canyon.

"Alright, let's go." Cloud said fornlornly. There was a universal groan from his companions, which he ignored.

Rude and Vincent immediately began to ascend the mountainous stairs, with the others trailing behind. If Rude hadn't known better, he would have thought that something in the way Vincent fought to get in front of him was kind of competitive. Like he was showing off what the old Turks were in comparison to these weenies. 

With an internal grin, Rude kept right on climbing. 

Now, there was absolutely _nothing _relaxing about the stairs, but it was kind of rhythmatic climbing up the things, all there feet beating at it in time with one another. 

"This is insane!" Yuffie from about midway down the group.

"Your telling me?" Cid demanded. From the sound of his voice, Rude figured he was last. Probably from the tar in his lungs that took the place of room for oxygen. Reno used to smoke and he was the same, always in the back gasping like it was a thirty mile marathon. Of course, he'd stopped awhile back when he realized how hard it was to be a Turk when he took three steps and needed air, but it had been silently fun to show off in front of him.

"Hurry up you old fart!" Yuffie said in a voice that smiled.

"What did you call me?" Cid growled, and he began to go even faster to try and do something evil to Yuffie. She squealed with laughter and started up again.

Cloud was doing alright, though he hadn't really had the same practise with the stairs as a Turk.***

Tifa and Barett were doing alright also, but stopped every once in awhile with Shaela to catch their breaths. Shera had been lucky enough to stay behind with the Highwind. They had figured it might be dangerous, and there was no way she could have done the stairs.

The silent war between Vincent and Rude continued, neither giving nor asking quarter. The stairs were nearly halfway done, and Rude desperately wanted to stop for at least a moment, but didn't. 

And then, Vincent grunted and nearly fell over as Yuffie ran head first into him. Yuffie unfortunately _did _fall, right in front of him, and the two of them toppled over like a card pyramid. 

There was harsh, steady laughter from Barett and Cid, and the others found it hard not to laugh a little, mostly relieved it hadn't been them. Vincent said nothing but scrambled to his feet, and Yuffie swore venomously.

"You big dummy! Ow, that hurt!" 

Vincent looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "You ran into me."

Yuffie paused to think of a smart comeback, then simple shouted, "Shuttap!"

Vincent shrugged again, "You okay?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine!" Yuffie rubbed her bottom, then began again up the stairs. "Beat you all up!"

Tifa laughed. "No you won't!" 

And the run began again.

Shaela really didn't know what to say about her new companions. They were – unique, no doubt. As they finally reached the last set of stairs, there was a general whoop, shout and um - "…" of delight. Shaela was glad, her lungs felt like they were going to burst. As the stairs ended, she leaned against the wall and sucked in air greedily. Everyone else did likewise.

"I almost won!" Yuffie muttered through breaths. "Rude – had practise."

"It's…in the…job description…" Rude muttered in a monotonous voice through harsh breaths. 

"Haha! Did you hear that? Rude made a joke!" Yuffie laughed and patted the deep-breathing Turk on the back. "Congratulations!"

"Yuffie, that's enough." Tifa murmured. Yuffie gave her a disappointed look, and the auburn-haired woman grinned. "You're being a sour loser."

Yuffie laughed, and Rude seemed amused as well. Shaela assumed that the bald "Turk" was usually a lot quieter. 

Yes, a very unique group, no doubt. However, Shaela derived a little amusement from them, despite her worry for Nanaki.

Authors note: Hehe, lots of asterisking today :P 

_Sorry Aeris-haters, she's one of my favorite characters. How can you _not_ love her? Shes so ADORABLE!! _

_Okay, I know the end was pretty OOCish, but it was SO much FUN!! I had completely forgot about the stairs until I got there, then…you know, I just started writing. Besides, I was listening to "Sheep go to heaven," by Cake (highly recommended ;) and it just put on the mood._

_The fighting scene might have sucked, I don't know. I'm not great at them. But I hoped it added a bit of action to the storyline. Hehe! Anyway, I managed to get this done all at once, I'm very proud of myself._

_* Matadors ARE bullfighters, right?_

** I uh – heh heh – never got Great Gospel, so I kinda don't know what it looks like…heh…heh…

_*** If you remember the storyline correctly, Cloud ended up NOT being SOLDIER but a common fighter, so I figured that he, in fact, would  NOT have had practise with the stairs as much as Turks or SOLDIER._


	7. A brief intermission

Chapter 7 – A Brief Intermission__

My heart had been, 

_In a moon-blurred mirror that flowed._

_The stars that trembled and spilled_

_Cannot hide my tears._

_Tsuki ga nijimu kagami wo,_

_Nagareta kokoro._

_Hoshi ga yurete koboreta_

_Kakusenai namida._

_"Suteki da ne"/ "Isn't it beautiful?" –Rikki, FF10_

If Reno and Elena had continued on for an hour without the interruption of Feliyui, they would have found the city. It was a huge city over a large lake, and Aeris told them that it was identical to the City of the Ancients. When Reno asked why they didn't just go to the Cetra city instead of building a new one, she just smiled mysteriously and shook her head. 

Aeris herself lived in a tall, elegant building that radiated a familiarity that she couldn't place. She had a theory that it had once been a place that her mother, Ifalna had occupied. Every Cetra saw the city, however briefly. She could tell that the two Turks saw the same mystical something about the place, but she was sure they didn't know it as well as her.

With a stab of regret, she wished she could see her mother now. But no, it was impossible. The woman had died on the steps of Midgar's railways, and by now had probably been reborn as a new person on Earth.

"This is my home." She said with a small smile, turning on them. They nodded wordlessly, entranced by the all that was the City of the Ancients, even if only a replica. 

As she turned to enter the house, a voice from inside caught her attention.

"Hey guys! You're here?" 

Reeve burst out of the picturesque building, ending the moment for the rose-garbed flower girl. Reno and Elena laughed in relief.

"Reeve, you're okay!"

He nodded. As he did, Red XIII sauntered slowly out, and growled in welcoming.

Aeris noticed in her peripheral vision that little Marlene was peeking out at them with fright from the house. Apparently, Reno and Elena were a frightening thing for a five year old. 

Aeris silently agreed, though she made no notice of it. Elena's jacket had totally ripped off from the middle of her skinny ribs down, leaving just enough clothing to be "decent," and there was a nasty scar there that Great Gospel had not been able to avert. Her blond hair was messy and slightly dusty and her makeup was smeared lightly.

And Reno was no better. He had hit the dirt more than once, being mauled by the horned wolf and falling over onto Elena. He was bruised all over, and kept unconsciously rubbing his head where Feliyui had punched him. Plus, he was slightly "burnt" from Aeris' Ultima spell, which she felt guilty for. 

Aeris walked over to Marlene and murmured in her ear, "It's okay. They're friends of Reeve's."

Marlene looked up at her, and Aeris smiled warmly. The girl nodded. "Okay."

She stumbled forward a little, and said to Reno and Elena nervously, "Hi."

Aeris was surprised at the reaction. Reno bent over to her and stuck his big blue-eyed face close to hers. 

"Hey there. What's your name?"

"Marlene."

Reno nodded with a grin, as if he were talking to a full adult. "I'm Reno. Pleased to meetcha."

Elena watched, unable to hold in a smile. Aeris looked at her, and she muttered, "Ceres," as if it answered all life's questions. Aeris assumed Ceres was someone Reno or Elena knew personally. That was good, this would be easier than she imagined.

"Please, come inside. Make yourself at home." Aeris said suddenly, realizing that they were waiting for her.

Reeve, Reno, Elena, Marlene and Red followed her in quietly. Aeris ushered them to sit down on the chairs and couch of her living room, then sat down herself.

"So, what happened that I missed?" Reeve asked. "I'm assuming you got here the same way as me."

"Yes." Elena sighed.

A sudden seemed to shoot from Reeve's mouth. "Where's Rude? Is he alright?"

"Whoa, calm down Reeve. Rude isn't with us, he escaped the green…thing." 

"Oh, okay. Good. Alright, what happened then?" Reeve sat back a bit and smiled lightly.

Elena began to tell the story with constant help from Rude, and Aeris listened intently, to the point where she could have heard a raindrop outside. Especially at parts that included Cloud. 

She missed him, more than he could know. She assumed and hoped with all her heart that him and Tifa had given in to the love they both knew existed, but a small, guilty part of her wished that there was some way that Cloud and her could be together. On that night at the Gold Saucer, on their date, Aeris had felt something. Though cloud pretended to be uninterested, there was this underlying feeling of something that Aeris wished so much was love. The love she tried to hide, not wanting at all to interfere with Tifa and Cloud. How different were the thoughts of her mind and the thoughts of her heart!

And she missed the others, of course. Tifa, and her loving laugh and graceful voice. The unique outwardness of Yuffie. Barett and Cid's bad tongues and strong courage. Aeris even wished that she could see the icy face of cold, enigmatic Vincent. She just wanted to hug them all again and again until she could no longer.

At least she now had Reeve and Red. They had certainly heard a lot of how much she had missed them over the day or so they'd been here. 

She slowly returned to Earth as Reno and Elena finished their tale. 

"Hmm…it seems that there's a reason only AVALANCHE…" Red XIII thought aloud. He looked at Marlene. "And connections of AVALANCHE were taken here. Wherever here is. I wonder why, and by who?" 

Aeris sighed and said. "Um…I know one answer. Here is the lifestream."

Reno and Elena looked shocked, and Reeve and Marlene looked confused.

Reno saw Marlene's expression and said, "The lifestream is peoples souls go when they pass away, or so I'm told." He looked up at Aeris and their eyes met. "But how is that possible? I mean, none of us are dead, right?"

Red XIII looked at his paws and Reeve coughed uneasily.

"Um, that's not entirely true…during when Sephiroth was around, I became an obstacle for his ideals, so – I was removed…"

"What?" He and Elena demanded. 

"So you are a ghost?" Marlene asked. She looked a little frightened again.

"No, of course not! I'm a friendly spirit." Aeris tried to sound convincing, but it was true. Her spirit had not settled into the lifestream, so she was a ghost, technically. "I think it's about bedtime, isn't it?"

Marlene nodded, seeming unsure whether she was happy or scared, and then Reeve smiled lightly. "I'll help you to your bed, okay?"

She smiled and nodded, and Reeve took her hand and led her up a set of stairs to the spare bedroom Aeris had put aside for her. Marlene had liked Reeve for some reason, perhaps since he always told her about her father, and Midgar, and things that interested her. 

"That's better. It's best if we don't scare her." Red XIII muttered.

"Aeris? Can I see something?" Before she could answer, Reno leaned forward and reached for her arm. True to every melodramatic movie or myth spoken around a campfire, his pale, gloved hand fell through her skin, leaving a single tingle reverberated through her skin.

"Whoa." He said simply, and he shivered suddenly. "Weird."

"When a person dies, they immediately lose consciousness as they merge with the lifestream, or, if you believe it, they join a sort of mass mind. Is it possible that Cetra have some ability to deny the pull of the lifestream and live as 'ghosts,' if you will, trapped in a secret world _inside _the lifestream?" Red XIII asked Aeris.

"I don't think so. There were others like me, trapped here. The man with the spear, he was one. Dead, but not reborn." Aeris smiled. The prospect of being a ghost was slightly strange.

"So, you're basically an unphysical, conscious mass of spirit energy?" Reno shook his head. "That's too much for me."

Elena nodded. Aeris looked up at the blond haired Turk, and wondered at her reaction to some of the people trapped in the Lifestream. There were many, most unfamiliar. But some were all too memorable.

Feliyui grunted as he walked down the long, dark hallways of his masters' little hideout. 

_Fortress, castle, lair, whatever the Mistress called it._

His chest hurt like something was trying to rip it's way out, after the power of the Cetra. She was a strong willed one. Somehow she'd escaped The Mistresses control. With the blue-garbed ones. That would be a minor difficulty and Feliyui wondered what the Mistress would say. 

As he walked farther down the corridors, it became to dark for his slitted lavender eyes. With a slight magical force, he felt his face and body shifting and changing, like he was a piece of human clay, melded into a new form. 

Feline eyes pierced through the darkness, and he purred in satisfaction. That was better. 

Somewhere a raven cawed, and he was sure he knew which. In the darkness, and shape moved, and Feliyui froze. It came closer, and he mind-spoke the figure, as it slithered forward with a hiss.

_[Hello Safiris.]_

_[That's a mouthful for you, Felly. You sure you have enough breathe for another one?] _Feliyui studied her carefully. She was a sharp-eyed black viper with eyes of acute jade, and strange green scales around her eyes, creating a spiritualistic effect.

_[Good to see you too. What is the Mistress being like right now?]_

_[Brooding over something,' don't know what. I think she's plannin' when were gonna capture the Cetra and her friends.]_

_[I don't know. Every second they're out there, they are a danger to us.]_

She hissed in a snakish form of laughter. _[Worried Felly? Don't be getting paranoid on us.]_

_[It's better than the alternative.]_

_[What is that supposed to mean?]_

_[Forget it. What's our mission?]_

_[Our mission, should you choose to accept Agent 007, is to sit around and watch the current captives. Soon we'll have to – er – _meet _Cloud and his buddies at the Cetra village, but until then we get a break. Don't let it getcha restless, okay?]_

_[I will care for my own self.]_

_[Suit yourself. At least we know you didn't get beaten in the head with any kindness.]_

_[Amen.]_

With a slight nod to the snake, Feliyui stalked forward, his snowy white fir whisping on his back and paws and making no sound. Soon, he reached a large, dark room where the ten or so captives were stored. He passed, and continued to a small, closet-sized room with a large metal door. The Mistress, whose name Feliyui had not the privilege to name, seemed particularly worried over this one. With a shrug, he decided to check on him, carefully unlocking the door and slipping in.

The traditional shackles did not bind the prisoner, but glowing green cuffs of spirit energy, locking him to the wall. He gazed up at Feliyui, seeing only a cat, and snorted. His emerald eyes, brighter and fiercer even then Safiris,' were on the floor.

"I see past that disguise." His voice lashed out at Feliyui, wrapping around his heart buried deep inside him and pulling sharply with daggers of fear. Feliyui kept his face straight, but he was terrified. He remembered this man…

The sharp-eyed head jerked up at him, and silver hair fell around him, giving him the impression of some sort of silver demon. Those eyes, those overly bright, horrifically tortured but ever-blazing eyes, stared up at Feliyui. Though usually empty and brooding, those jade orbs made a special note of being fearsome in Feliyui's presence, which only added to his fright. It was easy to see why Sephiroth gained so much fear and respect from so many. 

With a brief sigh of passing energy, Feliyui slipped back into human form, and said nothing as the face studied him over, like a god overlooking an ignorant child. There was no escape, no mercy, in the gaze.

"Are you scared?" The raspy, awe-inspiring voice asked. 

Feliyui shrugged. "No."

"Let me do you a favour…" Sephiroth's every word was a knife in Feliyui's mind, and their eyes met again. "You watch your back. When I get out of here, even your half-done lies won't save you from the things that make nightmares…"

Feliyui was unsure of what to do. All hint of frailty or weakness was gone from the glaring optics. He growled slightly, and backed away.

Sephiroth watched. As always, Sephiroth watched.

_Authors note: Another chapter down. Ooooh, Sephy. Yay! I actually really thought he was an awesome twist of the normal, stereotypical demented badguy, because they actually made him seem like deep down he was the kinda guy you could like, if not fear a little. Anyway, enough of my philosophical crap, how'd you like it? This was kinda a chapter for catching my grounds, but there you go._

_Feedback please. Or even if you wanna email me, please feel free, I love email. Sapphire_midnight@msn.com, fire away xD_

_Hehehe, I finally added Red and Reeve. Yay! I don't know if I'm doing a great job on Reeve's personality, since they add him so little in the game, but I'll try my hardest. _


	8. Falcons Call

Chapter 8 – Falcon Call

_This state is elevating._

_As the hurt turns into hating._

_Anticipating all the ****** up feelings again.._

_The hurt inside is fading._

_This shits gone way too far._

_All this time I've been waiting._

_No I cannot grieve anymore._

_For what's inside awakening._

_[You've taken everything and oh I cannot give anymore]_

_"Here to stay" -Korn_

There was an uncomfortable silence that hung in the air like a virus throughout the house as Reeve carefully seated himself back on the chair. No one wanted to ask it, but Nanaki knew the question circulating through all their minds. Finally, Elena gave in.

"How are we going to get home, Aeris?"

For a split instant a sorrowful frown loosed itself unto Aeris pale face, then it disappeared in an expression that seemed a struggle to stay emotionless, though Nanaki did not need to use his superior sense of smell to know that the flower girl was crushed at losing her friends again. Of course, she would try to hide it. She knew what had to be done.

"There's a person deeper in the forests that can bring you back – I think…"

With a soft voice, Nanaki muttered, "You're hiding something."

Aeris looked at him, and her eyes were full of unshed tears. "N-no, I'm not…" Then, she finally gave in, and though she did not cry, she smelled and_ felt _of sorrow. "Okay! For millions of years, people and all living things die and are reborn, y-you know that. But there are these three people, their some sort of shape shifters, and they've managed to trap certain people here. I think they're being led by someone, but I don't know who, or why. I'm sorry…"

Reeve reached across the sleek black coffee table and brushed over her pale hand with his. "Aeris, what's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry to bother you guys, but – I don't want to lose you! To see you again and then have you taken away just as fast…I'm so sorry…" She looked down at her feet as if she had just admitted the greatest of sins.

Nanaki understood though. If she was stuck in the lifestream, she wouldn't ever be reborn, meaning that even in the next life she would never see any of her old friends or family ever again. What a complex and horrible situation…

"We'll find a way." Reno told her gently.

Aeris looked deep into his eyes then, and Nanaki watched as Angel Jade met Aquamarine, seeming to meld into one another. 

"How?"

One simple word, but it noticeably shocked Nanaki. It was disturbing to see his long-lost friend like this. In his memories, she had always been so positive, so brave…but now, she seemed lost in her own pessimism. 

"If they, whoever they _are, _can bring people down here, couldn't the opposite effect be possible?" Reeve wondered aloud.

"That's what I'm thinking…" Reno shook his head. "Too weird. If people who die get reborn, the term 'death' would just mean that. So technically Aeris isn't _dead, _per say, just kinda…I don't know, trapped. One direction would lead to rebirth, but couldn't she just as easily…"

"I assume that is a correct theory." Nanaki said, thinking hard as he spoke, but hardly hearing his own voice. "But the physical body is already dead, if that _is _the correct term. Therefore, the myths of ghosts would simply imply of spirits without a body. If we _did _bring you back to Earth, you'd be a ghost, in the simplest form of saying it."

"We can't worry about me right now." Aeris sighed. "The person who attacked us, his name was Feliyui, he's one of the shape shifters. There're three, and they are staying at a fortress about a day away from here. I guess we'll know more once we get there."

"Just like old times." Reeve muttered. 

Nanaki nodded, but his eyes were riveted on Aeris. 

"Hey guys! About time you dug me up! What's new?" 

The wiry voice of Cait Sith, which would normally annoy Cloud, frankly delighted him. Reeve had been telling them that, though he _had _programmed the robot and at times controlled him, most times the thing responded on it's own will and personality. He had had a more complex explanation, but it had confused Cloud too much and he'd forgotten. But, it would be good to have the catbot and moogle around; they were powerful fighters.

Cloud was, actually, surprised that the robot didn't know what one of Reeve's soldiers had just informed him, about Reeve's disappearance.

"Well, Reeve, The Turks, Marlene and Nanaki were taken by a giant green maggot, and our only lead is a piece of cloth." Cid filled him in sarcastically.

Cait Sith scratched at an ear and grinned. "Wow, just another day in the life of us, eh? Well, where to then?"

He looked at Cloud, and the blond man felt the lifeless but somehow friendly eyes on him. Cait Sith creeped him out, sometimes it was like talking to Reeve, but other times…

More like talking to a tin can riding a marshmallow. That's what Cid had called it. Cloud almost laughed, but instead said, 

"The Cetra City."

"Great!" Without the human emotion, the robot obviously did not pick up that it was not a great thing, but instead began towards the doorway. "Oh, hey, uh, heh heh. Are the elevators working?"

Exotic trees met Vincent's gaze, the once beautiful scenery now like barbed needles piercing his garnet eyes. Though the place was as still and hauntingly majestic as the last time he saw the place, it now seemed to have a very negative effect on him. 

He thought of Aeris, as he was sure everyone else was, and unconsciously pushed back a stray lock of blue-black hair, falling gently against his face. He hadn't known her well, only for somewhere around a week, but that had been enough. Her gentle laugh like the summer breeze in his ears, her mystifyingly deep jade optics, her sweet disposition; everything about her seemed so innocent but at the same time so wise and frighteningly powerful. With her simple presence, she'd touched all of their hearts.

And it hurt all the more as she was taken from them. Vincent had been amazed at how heartbroken he'd felt after that. Perhaps it was how much she reminded him of Her.

He hated this place. He tried, like so many times before, to shake the sadistic regret and self-hatred he felt when he thought of Lucrecia, but he was overwhelmed in this great, horrible place of so much mocking beauty.

I'm so sorry Vincent. I'm so sorry… 

The words echoed through his mind like the laughter of demons, and though the intention had been a kind-hearted one, those words alone hurt him more than anything else. The tears Lucrecia had shed as she slowly faded away from him…

I'm so sorry… 

Shuttap. Just shuttap.

The stone path was strong yet soft under his boot-clad feet. In front of him, Cloud was perfectly silent, and Tifa seemed torn with sadness. But none of his friends were exactly happy at the sight of the city. Only Shaela could be unaffected, but she was still solemn and quiet in the background. 

Though Rude probably knew little about Aeris, it appeared he felt the overwhelming warmth of her lingering touch in the place. His eyes were invisible behind the sunglasses, and his face was obviously hiding thoughts only he would know.

In front of him, Cloud stopped, and with a robotic simplicity, everyone else did as he did. Vincent gazed ahead and saw the difficulty. 

Clear, unwavering water glimmered in the sun, reflecting the white rays into the trees. It was a small pond, seeming ornamental, and the sight was even more crushing than any other, except perhaps the altar. The water seemed perfectly clear and fresh, and its beauty matched that of its surroundings. The more Vincent gazed into the water, the more he thought he could see her porcelain face.

In front of him, Cloud seemed to be doing the same, and Vincent could see his thoughts with minimal effort.

With twin hands clasped on her lap, her brilliant eyes flashed open. A slight, thin smile met her pale face as her high cheekboned face rotated slowly upward. A sigh of happiness whisped from her red lips, and she said something, something only Cloud knew. 

Vincent still heard the indescribable sound as the masamune suddenly appeared through Aeris gut. It was just so absolutely appalling that he sometimes heard the sound echoing into the midnight sky of his peaceless sleep at night. And he saw her smile fade as she lurched forward a little. 

There was a slice, and the blade was freed, it's bearer grinning a bit and his eyes looking so much like Aeris'. And Lucresia's.

She fell forward, and her hair unravelled onto her shoulders behind her. The sound of the green memento, Holy, was only describable as 'crystal' as it fell to the stone of the death place of it's possessor.

Cloud shuddered, and then walked around the lake, saying nothing and revealing none of the obvious agony he was in. In dutiful silence, his friends followed.

"Pitasha, I see them!"

Pitasha flicked his gaze over to his companion, and nodded solemnly. Passed the cover of the bushes and about a hundred feet away, nine figures walked slowly across the stone walkways of the Cetra City. Good, waiting had been hard and Pitasha disliked the feel of the world of the living. It was too – harsh, too – real. Whatever it was, it disturbed him. 

Beside him, his two associates, soldiers of the Mistress, were watching them too. Straining his ears, Pitasha listened to the conversation of two of the enemy, one a young girl with dancing black hair and one a fiery eyed woman who wore exotic clothing and had a somewhat slippy foreign accent.

"Did Nanaki ever tell you of Aeris?" 

Nanaki? Good, this was definitely them.

"Yes, all the time. Is this the place where…?" The foreign woman trailed off uncertainly, though her face showed no sign of it.

"The shit-winged angel killed her, yeah." The ninja girl glared up at the altar, and spat. "I would give it to be able to dig something sharp into his gut for that. The bastard!"

"He's gone now, at least."

"Amen."

Their leader, who must have been the one called Cloud, turned suddenly. "Well, we're here. Now what?"

"Now, we wait for some sign that we came to the right place." A giant cat on a moogle replied. 

"What? So we're supposed to just sit around like idiots while we _wait _for a big green worm to gobble us up?" Back to the ninja again.

"I guess so. I don't know what to expect, so stay on alert." For an instant, Pitasha thought that Cloud had seen him, but those unnatural blue eyes roved on, scanning the City carefully.

The others did the same, obviously they trusted his judgement.

Pitasha turned to his soldiers and mouthed, "Stay here," and then began to shift his body into his preferred form, a silver-winged peregrine falcon.

He turned and began to fly up into the air, heading first away and then up to simulate a natural birds flying. With his amazing eyes, he saw Cloud and a couple other heads snap over to gaze at him. Cloud seemed to shrug it off, but one person, and tall man dressed in blue, watched him a very long time, his eyes hidden by sunglasses. Pitasha immediately knew whom to get first.

He rose above them, rising on a warm updraft, then plummeted down towards them like a silver arrow. Once he reached about ten feet above their heads and it seemed he would fly straight into the ground, he shuddered with a sudden blast of magic, and warped himself back into human form, landing in a controlled crouch. Getting the advantage of surprise, he grabbed the wrists of the man with the hidden eyes and pulled them back cruelly, careful not to hurt him but to make sure he knew who had control.

"What the hell?"

All nine of them turned, and weapons flashed and rang as they were freed of their sheaths and holders. Reacting automatically to the irritatingly loud sound, Pitasha jerked his prisoner's wrists up farther, and he heard a nearly hidden grunt of pain. 

Cloud seemed ready for this, and his sword lowered loosely in his hands. "What do you want?"

"You are going to come with me to my masters territory, where you will be dealt with accordingly. Your captured friends are already there, and if you refuse to cooperate, they will pay with blood."

He clutched onto his captive and skipped aside as the man tried to kick him. He was impressively strong.

A dark-skinned man that towered above Pitasha and even his hostage swore fluently. "Marlene! You #^#*ing sonuva bitch, you let her go!"

"She will be possibly be let go if you come peacefully." Pitasha shrugged. 

"Possibly? The hell does dat mean?"

Pitasha shook his head. Feliyui had said that the Mistress had wanted to keep the one named Marlene to raise her as a fighter. The shapeshifter strongly disliked the idea, the girl was only five! But his preference didn't matter to Her decision. One positive thing though, they had not yet caught Marlene, the two Turks, or Reeve. But his enemies couldn't know that.

Yuffie watched Rude's half closed eyes on the ground, as if they could tell her what to do. Should she attack? But They had Reno, Elena, Marlene and Reeve, and if she hurt the Falcon Man, what would happen to her friends? Yet, what good would she do if she went with him? She cursed at her vulnerability and waited for Cloud to decide. His face was dark and emotionless and he seemed stone dumb, torn between what to do.

And of course, there was Rude. As her attention returned to him, she saw a sudden muscle spasm in his arm that the Falcon Man missed. She almost smiled.

And with an amazing quickness, Rude snapped his wrists and turned at the same time, throwing the enemy aside. He stood over him, and held up his fists, ready to attack should he arise again. Yuffie was already at his side above the Falcon Man, the Conformer in her hands skilfully. 

A sudden sound like thunder blasted through her ears, and as she watched, Rude fell over in a bleeding heap, blood pouring from a wound she couldn't place. She was later embarrassed for it, but she shrieked and put her hands over her head.

Another blast sounded, and she felt a stinging in her arm. A bullet had just barely grazed it. She hissed at the smarting pain, and turned on the messenger of the bullet.

Two people, appearing human, ran up towards them with guns raised. She couldn't place what kind they were, she knew nothing about guns, but she _did _know that they _hurt! _

A black figure whisped past and pandemonium broke out. All around her, friend and foe were attacking each other with weapons, and the Falcon Man was back on his feet, going for Cloud. 

"Yuffie, are you okay?" Tifa asked breathlessly.

She nodded. "Rude! Oh gawd!"

She and Tifa crouched beside him as the tall Turk lifted himself up. His dark blue clothing was held against him and dyed a darker shade of black-indigo by bright crimson blood at his stomach, and with something between a grunt and a gasp, he grabbed at it with a hand.

"Rude!" Tifa shouted simply.

"I'm okay." He smiled lightly, but dangerously. 

Yuffie tried to turn, but felt a sudden impact on her side, and her body seemed to go airborne and crumple in half simultaneously. For an instant, she couldn't place where she was, or the fact that she was still in the air, and then suddenly water overtook her, and the air left her lungs.

She broke the surface and looked up, seeing that she had fallen from the altar and landed in the warm water below. To her horror, she saw another figure begin to follow her pathway, and she just barely managed to get out of the way as Rude and Tifa fell were she had just been. She swam over to them, first pulling Tifa above surface and then Rude. Tifa seemed winded and Rude was, put simply, in a very large amount of pain as his side had slapped the water hard. Yuffie grimaced.

Ignoring the pain in her head and the sounds of guns and weapons above her, and without much thought, she put her arms around Rude's slender waist and tried pretty much hopelessly to help him stay above water. He looked down at her and then nodded his head towards the shore, which seemed so far away. Yuffie felt warm, oozing blood on her arm mixed with the feel of bare skin where his jacket had ripped away. She ignored it and began to pull hurriedly towards the shore.

"Wait." Rude reached over and grabbed Tifa, putting an arm over her shoulder and pulling her close. Yuffie realized that he was fine to swim and let go, swimming around him to Tifa, who was still gasping for breath and choking. She grabbed her other arm and with Rude's help began to pull her through the water.

There was the sounds of metal and blasts like thunder as her friends fought above her. 

Pitasha groaned against the multiple wounds now bleeding heartily decided that he would have to send them back now, before anyone got killed. Of course, this would leave him vulnerable, but it had to be done.

He half closed his eyes and began to mutter ancient words under his breath that meant little to him but gathered so much power through him. He heard rapid breaths suddenly and unconsciously noted that one of the soldiers had come over to cover him. 

_"Sae Dalaea e' lyat, keer asadul sair'tak rasha!" _The words drifted from his lips, and his opened his eyes briefly. His vision was blurred by green light, and he felt them widening though he saw nothing. There was a pulling feeling as he and the others began into the Lifestream, and then, there was nothing. No sight, no sound, no nothing. He sighed, and fell to the ground as darkness overtook his mind. 

Though he could not see, his Mistress smiled grimly at the accomplishment. Finally, they were here. 

Authors Note: I'm sooooo super duper sorry that took so long. School started like I said and I've been busy, and then my comp was being screwy (swears venomously at it.) I'll have the next chapter out quicker, I promise.

_Anyway, hope you liked, and I hope it's been interesting. I'm sure that the Lifestream twist was just _too _obvious but I tried to make it a surprise. I'm going to have the next chapters in sort of groupings so I'm not forgetting to add some characters, so if I haven't exactly been using your favourite characters much (my poor, beautiful Vinny…) they'll be in the next chapters, I promise. Um…can't think of anything else to say…uh…luv ya all!_

_Ps: If you know the lyrics, you'll notice I skipped a line. There were probably a lot that could have been skipped, but that one had nothing to do with the story (less then the others) and would have confused people if they tried to see what it had to do with anything, lol._


	9. Jewel Tears, Stone and Crystal

Chapter 9 – Jewel Tears, Stone and Crystal

Of all the things I've believed in.

_I just want to get it over with._

_Tears form before my eyes, but I do not cry._

_Counting the days that've past me by._

_I've been searching deep down in my soul._

_Words that I'm hearing are starting to get old._

_Feels like I'm starting all over again._

_And the last three years were just pretend._

_And I've said:_

_Goodbye to you._

_Goodbye to everything that I knew._

_You were the one I loved,_

_The one thing that I've tried to hold on to._

_"Goodbye to you." –Michelle Branch_

_You never sang my songs._

_On this stage of my own._

_You never said my words,_

_Wishing they would be heard._

_I saw you smiling at me._

_Was it real or just my fantasy…?_

_"Eyes on me" –FF8/Faye Wong_

Sephiroth sighed into the darkness of the cell, his voice riquotteing off the walls. It was strange to hear the sound of his own voice again. He'd forgotten it a while ago.

He strained his ears at a sudden sound and found that it was only the footsteps of one of the shapeshifters. He said nothing, and did nothing, half wishing they would leave and half wishing they would come, so he could show them again and again why it was he was so carefully guarded.

And then, through a small hole in the metal door of his cell, he saw a large group of figures passing. One was the shapeshifter with the hair that vaguely resembled his and the violet eyes. The person who followed sent a shiver of bestial rage through him. He snarled and struggled against the shackles that held him.

The figure's head turned, and Sephiroth glared into sapphire eyes. For a moment, there was a staring competition, and then he saw Cloud Strife's gaze slowly bawk. He grinned and another sound of anger erupted from his lips, this one soft, low and dangerous.

They both spoke each other's names, Sephiroth with a deadly hiss and Cloud with a gasp of fear and uncertainty.

"What? Come on!" 

The violet-eyed one pulled Sephiroths enemy away, and he glared at the door as Cloud's little companions passed. Each one watched him with fear.

"Come back Strife! Get back here!"

Yes, he recognized them all, and each face burned into his mind, further scaring his sanity. There was that girl from Nibel, with the ebony blasted cat following, and then the pilot and the dark-skinned person with the gun arm. Following them was a woman he didn't recognize, a tall girl with fiery hair and thin red lips pursed in a frown. 

"Canyon girl…" He purred, the madness taking him over. "Hello Canyon Girl…."

She looked at him, and her hand strayed to a scimitar on her back.

"You don't need that…" He said, ignoring a silver lock of hair falling into his emerald eyes.

And then they all passed. Slowly his seething mind calmed, and he leaned back against the wall, his thoughts fully on Cloud. How could he have gotten here? Perhaps the Mistress got him, though he couldn't tell who she might be. He'd heard somewhere her name was Aklojha.

_Dark Oracle. _

Deep in his Cetra blood, the words translated in mysterious clarity; Aklojha meant Dark Oracle. Perhaps it was coincidence? 

No. There was no coincidence anymore. 

Only pain.

Tifa felt her chest and throat stinging as she finally regained the air in her battered lungs, and she felt slightly light-headed. Putting a hand to her head, she looked up at Rude and Yuffie, her eyebrows rising in concern.

"Are you guys okay?"

"Us?" Yuffie asked with a laugh. "Yeah, we're great. Peachy!"

Shocking forest-coloured eyes gazed her over with a rare look of concern as the normally stoic Turk demanded, "Are you alright Tifa?"

"Yeah I'm – fine…" She replied distractedly.

"Uh – guys? If I could break the mood by commenting?" Yuffie piped up.

"Mood?" 

"There's no mood!"

Tifa felt her cheeks burning at the comment, and hoped they couldn't see. Especially Rude, she would just _die _if he caught her blushing. 

Ugh, this was _so _not the time!

"Right right, sorry. But – um – where are the others?"

Tifa looked above them at the altar, the stone demon soaked with so much blood that held so much pain, and felt her heart and soul slowly sinking in her gut. "They're gone!"

"It must have been that Falcon guy, he said he was taking them somewhere." Yuffie thought aloud. "Where though? Jesus, if he had a teleportation meteria, he could be practically _anywhere!_"

"He didn't use meteria." Rude said dryly. 

Yuffie half-closed her eyes, and her auburn eyebrows rose in an almost comical, cynical look. "How do you know?"

"There was speech involved. Besides, it – felt different."

Tifa shook her head. People couldn't do magic without meteria. Though the man didn't seem exactly human…

"Well then, how do we know where to go?" Yuffie sounded truly worried now. 

"I don't know." 

Tifa decided to be logical about it, looking above again at the altar. She just wished she wasn't here.

"We have to go up there. They might still be there!"

Rude and Yuffie nodded, and as they ran, Tifa spoke quietly as if to reassure herself.

"I mean, the Falcon guy missed us, didn't he? Maybe other people are still here. Or – there's some sign of where they went, or _something. _There has to be!"

They ran around and up a hill to a long cobble pathway, and carefully climbed the stone steps to the altar. The reaction to the sight was immediate.

One of the men with the guns was laying half-off the platform with a huge, gory wound across his neck. He had died before he knew what happened.

And, about ten feet away, Vincent leaned against a pillar with his head back and his garnet eyes closed. It almost looked as if he was basking in the mocking sunlight, shining down on his ashen face.

"Vincent!" The cry that freed itself from Yuffie's lips was a surprisingly tortured one, as if her whole being had been taken away at the sight of the man, sitting there in the sunbeams. For that single moment, the russet-haired ninja seemed more mature and more powerful to Tifa than she ever had before. 

The pale, thin face turned slightly and dark eyes looked up at Yuffie, who had dropped down beside him. It almost looked as if his fearsome optics were bleeding. Of course, it was the deep cut on his face and deep into his chest that bled. 

"Hnn?" He said simply.

"It's okay…you'll be alright…" Yuffie said warmly. Beside Tifa, Rude closed his eyes and looked at the ground piteously, as if Yuffie's sudden courage was going to hurt her. 

No, he couldn't think that Vincent wasn't going to make it. Did he?

Vincent didn't say anything, but the briefest of shivers pulsed through him brutally. Tifa's breath caught.

"Omigod…" She said simply. 

Yuffie's mind was crying tears of blood as rage bubbled within her. No, he couldn't be – dying. But, that cut was pretty deep…

No! No, it couldn't be! No no no no NO!

"What happened? How did you escape that Falcon guy?" Her mind hurt, and her heart hurt. She hurt so badly, her voice was not her own.

Vincent shrugged, damn him, and muttered. "Didn' see me."

She made the mistake of looking down at the wound, and gasped, a gurgly, tortured gasp. "Jesus! No – you're gonna be okay…"

Surprisingly, the man's thin lips turned in a small, half-hearted smile. "That's what I said."

"What?"

His eyes shut tightly in agony, and he shook his head. And for the first time, he was talking straight to her like an old friend, actually _explaining _something to her.

"Lucresia – it doesn't really matter. Just – when she died – that's what I said."

"Vincent!"

His hand rose up and he brushed back a lock of her hair in an almost fatherly way. "Don't worry about it Yuffie."

"What? No, don't do this! C'mon, you ass! Stoppit!"

But she realized with a start that his eyes were closed.

"Goddamnit…" She murmured, and stood up. A bit of moisture hung in her eyes, and she closed them tight, which only started the tears. "God – GODDAMN IT ALL!"

She turned around and saw Tifa watching her, biting her lip weakly and watching her with her chocolate-amber eyes. "I - "

"I'm sorry." Rude said to her, and at the same time that it made her feel slightly better, it overflowed the rage that had been simmering in her. 

Wow, lookit that! Mister I'm-so-hung-up-on-Tifa-Lockheart is talking to me! Hurr-ay! Alert the damn press!

She said nothing, just walked past them. For the second time, she'd lost someone in this place, thanks to stupid, bloodthirsty idiots. First Sephiroth, now this damn idiot bird-boy? 

She'd kill him. She'd tear him apart with her fingernails if she had too.

"Yuffie, come back! Please!"

She ignored Tifa and kept walking. She reached the edge of the altar and stood there, staring at the pathetically beautiful water. She could feel the water dripping onto her soaked shirt and onto the ground, and she felt two pairs of eyes watching her back. She didn't care. 

She noticed herself absently clenching her fist, and looked down at it. Her hands were soaked in blood, some her own, some from Rude and some…

"SON OF A BITCH!" She screamed at the water, followed by more colourful swear words, some she'd heard from Cid, and some she'd improvised on her own, right there.

Memories of her fight against Sephiroth flooded her mind as she looked into the water. She remembered the day in the Shinra Mansion when she thought that something was going to jump out at her from every corner. She remembered the night in the cavern by the falls, where, under the moonlight, the man that now lay dead only twenty feet away, had told her about the deepest, most secret part of his past. 

She remembered it was then that he began to intrigue her. At first, he'd seemed so evil, dark, and just plain creepy. Like an uncaring mass of human disfunction. But on that one night, she'd seen into his spirit and realized what he was. One confused, screwed-up man, looking for something to rely on. 

At first, it had just been a childish little crush, but after awhile, she began to hunger for time around him, just to hear his limited words and to try and make herself noticed, like an attention-starved two year old. They'd hardly talked, but eventually he began to notice her – just a little. They spoke briefly every once in awhile, until they actually became sort of half-fought friends, in a strange, deformed sort of way. 

Ironically enough, he became the closest person to her in AVALANCHE, though it was little known and, she had to admit, laughable. 

So now what? Your only friend, if he can even be called that, is dead. Everything you know is suddenly gone – taken away by that bastard. All you have left is the woman you barely know, and the friggin Turk! Great, just great.

She hardly noticed as she began to cry, angst-ridden tears of defeat and bittersweet memories lost in the blood that would forever linger in the long forgotten city of the ancients.

Reno's feet hurt from walking, but he hardly noticed as he walked on towards Feliyui, towards freedom from this place. In front of him, Aeris led the way, with Reeve at her side and Nanaki following closely. The three were talking currently about the times of Sephiroth, apparently about good memories that the fiery Turk had no part of.

He stayed especially close to Elena, feeling almost as if she was his last tie to reality. Even Reeve, his own boss and friend, seemed far away.

"How do you think Rude is?" Elena asked suddenly.

"I'm sure he's fine." Reno said, trying to sound comforting. He hoped he did.

Elena sighed. "I hope you're right."

"I'm always right."

Her big eyes met his, and he was surprised by the melancholia in them. Feeling suddenly nervous, he added, "Don't worry. Rude can take care of himself."

"How can you be sure?" She demanded. The suddenness of this shocked Reno, and he had to struggle to hide it.

"What?"

"How can you be so sure that he's alright? He could be anywhere, he could be dead! And would you care? No, of course not!"

Aeris, Reeve and Nanaki looked back at him, and though Nanaki and Aeris quickly looked away, Reeve held his gaze worriedly on them for a while. Finally, he looked away.

Reno brilliant eyes narrowed into a strong glare and he growled, "Don't say that."

"Why not? It's true, you wouldn't even care! You didn't care about Tseng, didja? You don't care about anything!"

"Elena, chill out."

But Elena was now yelling, her voice full of a rage that Reno had never seen coming. Like a hurricane.

"Don't 'Elena' me! You always act like I'm just some stupid blond! Have you ever once told me how good of a job I'm doing? Huh?"

"Elena, stoppit."

"And what about you mom? And Ceres? When do you ever see them?"

"Shuttap!"

She shook her head, a lethal smirk on it. The grin of someone midway through a mental breakdown. "No, you know that I'm right. You don't care about anything but your next paycheck. Did you care when you killed those people in Midgar?

"SHUTTAP ELENA!"

That was it, that was tearing it! The cool sneer left his thin face as it was replaced by a snarl that spoke words. Elena glared back a moment, then suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulders. He just stood there, totally in shock. And then he carefully brought a hand up and rubbed her back between her shoulder blades, almost edgily, as if she could explode at any time.

"I'm sorry…" She sighed, her voice surprisingly close to his ear. "I just – hate this…so much…"

"Shh…" He said, feeling like a dumbass, and unable to think of anything to say. "Your aloud to be upset, alright?"

"Hn?" She gasped.

He was nervous at finding himself in this spot, and just starting blurting things out. "Just because you're a Turk doesn't mean you can't have feelings. God, forget the Turks, the hell does it matter? What's wrong Ellie?"

Though he knew she despised the nickname, he forgot not to say it in the moment. He felt like an idiot. But at the same time, he felt kind of amazed that she was relying on him. Finally, after all these years, she was coming to him in need of advice. He was surprised, for the seeming thousandth time today, to find himself glad to simply be around her. 

"I – don't know, Reno. I just want to be home. I hate this place."

She began to play with a lock of his hair absently, and there was a sudden shock of warmth as her hand met the skin of his neck. He started noticeably, and hoped she didn't notice.

Reeve smiled to himself. Reno and Elena were two of his closest friends, and he always worried about them, like an anxious parent. But for once, he felt that they knew what they were doing.

"Come on." He looked at Aeris and Nanaki with a small smile. "They can catch up, let's leave them alone."

Aeris looked at him. "What are you thinking, Reeve?"

He shook his head with an amused smile ever-present. He had only known the girl through Cait Sith and only for a very short time, and she had never met him, the real him, but they had became much closer than their short, limited 'relationship' in the last little while. 

Nanaki growled, but it too was amused. "I don't understand humans."

The three of them began to walk away from the tall, aquamarine eyed Turk and his blond companion, their thoughts roaming in many directions.

Elena was shocked by how close she was to Reno all of a sudden. Of course, she was shocked by a lot of things. Shocked that she had yelled at him, shocked that she was in this god-forsaken place, shocked at the emotions in her head, shocked by the warmth and comfort of being in one of her only friend's embrace. She'd never came so close to hugging the redhead before. There really was a first time for everything.

You're such a ditz. Her mind said. She ignored it, feeling weary, sorrowful and comforted at the same time. It was weird. 

But she was feeling better each moment. She vaguely saw Reeve, Aeris and Nanaki beginning away, but was too preoccupied by the feel of Reno's skin against hers. 

Hmm…a ditz and a whore…

She once again ignored that nagging voice in her head. She didn't care what it called her. Getting past all the sadness and anger that haunted her in the world of the lifestream, she was suddenly very content.

"Are you okay?" The fluent, passionate voice murmured in her ear. The way Reno was speaking made her curious; he didn't often talk to her without the wicked, sarcastic twinge to it.

This really didn't make sense. This was Reno right? The slimy, disgusting pain in the ass he'd always been, right?

Right then, he really didn't feel like that to her.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm sorry."

There was a pause, then, "Don't worry about it, Lena."

His hand, covered in the black, fingerless leather gloves, reached up from her back and gently touched the back of her head, pulling her even closer in a tight embrace. Every second was heavenly to her.

And then, he released her and backed away slightly, seeming unaffected. But she could see, deep in his eyes, something hidden away that warmed her heart. 

She realized that he was looking at her and said the only thing that came to mind.

"Thank you."

"Yep." He muttered. Then, seeming to consider it, added, "If you got a problem, I'm here, okay? Believe or not, I worry 'bout ya."

She thought of a few nasty comebacks, but forced them from her mind and said simply. "Mmm hmmm."

"Lena." The look in Reno's eyes was perfectly serious. "I'm not kidding. You're my friend."

"T-thank you. Just…thanks."

"No problem."

A sudden thought came into her head. "Oh, Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"I won't tell Rude."

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. If he hadn't been mad at her before, he'd have to be now. 

But, he just smiled, then laughed gently. "Sure, Lena. Thanks for ruining the moment."

Elena shook her head and tilted her head towards were Reeve and his friends had gone. "They're getting away."

"Yeah, let's go."

Authors note: Wow, I had that done in like an hour. Whoo! Hehe, as you can tell, I prefer characterization to fighting and plot and that other crap, hehehe. Oh well, you action dudes, if you don't like it, you aren't reading this.

(Looks over her work) Awwww! Wow, lots of emotion switches. Dangerous insanity to angsty sadness to – um…friend-to-friend moments? Hehehehe, sorry. Anyway, if you have a comment, c'mon, tell MEEEE!! I'll be your friend! ^__^

Ps: AHHHHH!! ITALICS AREN'T WORKING!! STUPID SITE!! (kills it)


	10. Blood on my Hands

Chapter 10 – Blood on my Hands

So many words can't describe my face.

The feelings evolved, so soon to break out.

I can't relate to a happy state,

Feeling the blood run inside.

"System" –Queen of the Damned Soundtrack *

Cloud felt cold. Not the cold that tickles its way through your body, but a deep, internal freezing gale. His body was warm, but his teeth chattered and his neck twitched on occasion. He'd felt this way before, of course. He knew the cause of this unholy scream of the dark.

It was always there deep in his mind, watching him with a emerald gaze. And even now, Cloud was just a pathetically small part of all the complexity that was the mind of Sephiroth.

Cloud could never understand Sephiroth, but he did know the power and the insanity. There was nothing human left behind that malicious stare, nothing but a complex mass of madness and unshed tears.

Cloud had no pity. Sephiroth had taken too much from him. He had broken the grip of pity – it was only hatred that Cloud felt for the one winged angel.

What was more terrifying was the unnerving feeling that there were worse things than Sephiroth in this labyrinth of human suffering. He could only hope so much that this was a false suspicion. 

He tried to shut his mind from thought. He'd failed. He'd failed to protect his friends from capture the first time, and now he'd done it again. Ahead of him, the falcon man Pitasha led the way. He looked at the floor with a sigh. The strange place all seemed the same, a long corridor filled with cells. Cages.

Finally, the group reached a large metal door. This all looked like your stereotypical lair for the enemy you knew nothing about. He'd done it all before.

Why did it seem so bad this time? 

The doors opened, and his eyes widened.

"So what now?"

The deep voice was blunt against Yuffie's ears, she had no need to wonder right now. But Tifa was thinking the same as Rude, pondering.

"I don't know. They could be anywhere…"

Rude took a couple pacing steps around the altar, thinking hard. Tifa watched him, she had nothing else to do, no ideas. She felt weak, and she missed Cloud. She wished he could just tell them in his cocky way where to go.

"Lifestream…"

Tifa and Rude both turned and looked at Yuffie. She was facing them, her face low and her eyes slitted and dark. The look on her normally happy face was frighteningly sharp, like the sudden choke of cold water washing over Tifa. 

"Go to the Lifestream." She said in a harsh voice.

Tifa walked over cautiously, and began to put a hand to her shoulder.

"Wait." Rude murmered.

"Come to us, we need you."

And then Yuffie looked up at them, and the dark expression cleared to one of angry confusion. "What are you staring at?"

"You were talking…" Tifa said, just as confused.

"No I wasn't!" Yuffie paused. "What am I doing over here?"

"You were talking about the Lifestream." Rude told her softly.

She shook her head. "Stop fooling around, you jerks!" Another pause. "What did I say?"

"Something about someone needing us."

Tifa brightened a little. "Maybe that's where we need to go then?"

"I don't trust it."

"Oh."

"What?" Yuffie demanded. "The Lifestream, that's great! That's where Vinny's going!"

"It could be a trap." Rude cautioned. It seemed obvious to Tifa that he wasn't really sure what to do. Apparently, none of the three were used to making the decisions. 

"Rude, I don't give a rats ass what you do, but I'm going to the Lifestream. I can fight my way out of a trap!" Yuffie wiped a dry tear from her face and looked fiercly at Tifa. "Tifa, are you with me or not?"

Tifa was still shaken by the anger on Yuffie's happy-go-lucky face, but she nodded. "It's the only lead we got."

"Fine, I'll come too then." And then the stern man was quiet.

"How do we get to the Lifestream?" Yuffie asked. Apparently, the thought that she had unknowingly spoken their next move didn't bother her, but Tifa shared Rude's view on it. It was too easy. Would they just be leading themselves into disaster?

Did it matter?

"Me and Cloud got there through Mideel, during the Earthquake. I don't know any other way." Tifa thought aloud.

"Too bad Midgar doesn't have the mako-chasm anymore. But that would be too easy." Yuffie muttered.

"Maybe there is some connection to the Lifestream here?" Tifa asked, thinking about all Aeris and Bugenhagen had said before.

"I don't know. We should split up and look around." Yuffie shrugged. "I'll go look in the forest, and – er – you and Rude can look around here."

Rude nodded, and looked pointedly at the shore below them. "I'll go down there."

Tifa nodded, and the three of them began down the steps. She watched Yuffie carefully as she desended, who paused only to take one last look at Vincent's body. The girl dragged the other one, the soldier, to the edge of the altar and threw him into the indigo water. Tifa held back a sobby sigh and began to look for a way into the Lifestream, to get away from here.

Aeris halted as they approached a huge building structure that gazed intimidatingly down at them. It was made all of cold metal, and she could hear the silent screams echoing eternally through it's halls. She grimaced, then pointed and said. "This is it."

"So what exactly do these people do?" Reeve asked, his dark eyes intent on the place.

Aeris shook her head. "They can control anyone in – my position – with a small amount of effort. That's how Feliyui made me appear when Reno and Elena were attacked."

"I think I understand. What do they want with peoples departed souls?" Nanaki asked.

Aeris shrugged. She really wasn't sure, but she didn't get a positive reaction from the happenings. "All I know is they lock a lot of them up there – the more important ones for whatever they're doing. After that, I'm just as confused as you."

"Well, let's go. We'll just have to beat the answers from them." Reeve's voice sort of had a sighing quality to it. "Too bad though."

"I won't mind scuffing them up a bit." Reno said thoughtfully. Elena nodded, but Reeve looked at them weakly.

"I'd rather you didn't. It could be dangerous. But, I don't control your lives, do what you want."

No more words passed as they stalked forward to the fortress. Aeris almost cried out as another silent scream ripped through the air. And suddenly, there was someone there in front of them.

The light was too bright for his eyes, and Vincent felt as if something was wripping at his body and mind, tearing through his defences. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth against it the pain. His head hurt like holy hell. 

And then, the weightlessness stopped. He tried to look around and only saw the blinding green light, even though he was sure his ruby eyes were open. He wasn't sure of much right then though, if blindness was all that happened to him, he'd be lucky.

He heard his name being called somewhere out there. At first, he thought he'd imagined it, but as it repeated over and over in his head, he became more and more sure that it was a startling reality. A number of people flashed through his mind at the sound, though he couldn't place anyone. At first, it sounded like Lucresia. But it was softer, and for some reason he thought it was Yuffie.

But with a sharp clarity he locked onto the identity. 

"Aeris."

His mind conjured an image of her face, and he was surprised to be realiving the image of her death like some sort of movie. His head was on fire, the pain was agonizing.

"Vincent, are you alright?"

He wasn't sure, but he choked out, "Yes" through the pain.

He blinked as the light began to dull, changing instead to a strange, midnight-type seen. Right above him was Aeris. 

Her auburn hair was soft against his skin as she bent over to look at his face. He had hardly even known her, but the familiarity was relieving. Her skin – almost as pale as his – her green eyes and her delicate elegance; it was all familiar.

He sat up and gazed around in confusion. His entire body ached, but it was almost nice compared to the flaming pain from earlier.

With a start, his memory jogged back, and he wondered if he was still alive.

He doubted it.

Strange though, this isn't what I expected… 

He looked around and saw that Aeris wasn't alone. Reeve, Red XIII, Reno and Elena all looked at him in concern. Marlene wasn't with them, and he hoped that they had left her somewhere safe, instead of that she was lost by herself. 

"Where am I?" He muttered, half to see if he _was _dead, and half because he didn't know what else to say.

Red XIII looked up at the sky. "Lifestream."

Vincent grunted in acnolodgement. "Where are you all going?"

"We're finding a way home." Reeve told him with a smile.

"Did you get eaten by the green thing too?" Elena asked.

All this was too much for Vincent to take in at once. He paused a moment, then said, "Not that I know of."

"Then your – like me?" Aeris asked with a hopeless look of sadness, mixed with a strange little glimmer of hope. Vincent was slightly upsetted by that look. He nodded.

"Oh."

"Well, are you coming with us?" Red asked, looking back at him. He felt somewhat uncomfortable under all those eyes. He nodded again, wondering what exactly they were doing. Red obliged. "We're going after a shapeshifter – three, technically – that we think brought the green things on us. They have some kind of power over the dead, and we think they can return us. Well, me, Reeve, Elena and Reno anyway. We – um – aren't sure about Aeris and you."

"I see." He looked passed them, and saw the huge fortress they seemed to be headed towards. He gritted his teeth, thinking of the Falcon Man. "Cloud and the others may be there."

The effect was instantaneous, though whether the reaction was more positive or negative, Vincent wasn't sure. Everyone's faces lost a large amount of hope at knowing that Cloud and the others hadn't escaped, and were most likely in trouble. 

But Aeris. The pure joy on her face at the mention of Cloud's name sent a warm feeling throughout Vincent's mind.

It was like the feeling he got when thinking of Lucresia. 

He stood wordlessly and followed Reeve and Red XIII as they began towards the huge stone building that seemed to radiate so much pain.

[The Mistress wants you to bring the new prisoners to her. I'd hurry too, if you value your head.]

Pitasha nodded and began to walk away from Safiris, looking as though he'd rather be in his falcon form. But Safiris knew his vision was better the way he was. 

Honestly, she was having trouble seeing through the darkness of the corridors, but she didn't want him to know that. She hissed up at him with a telepathic laugh and slithered in the opposite direction, thinking on what she should be doing.

At first, she considered checking on Feliyui, but decided against it. He was probably fine, and she was not his closest friend anyway. 

But she could take over his shift of checking on some of the prisoners. Especially the ones that knew Cloud and his friends; they might be acting up at the sight of their old friends. She started at the front of the corridor and turned back human. She peeked into the first cell, avoiding the dirty gaze it's prisoner gave her, and shook her head, looking into the next cell. This time, she saw someone she needed to see. 

She unlocked the door and walked carefully inside. The prisoner looked up at her briefly and growled,

"Whatcha want?"

"Your name is Dyne, correct?"

He shrugged, a harsh look on his face. "Ya, guess I am. What's your problem?"

"Just checking on you." She took a moment to gaze around the room, then shrugged. "Everything looks alright. You keep quiet, okay?"

"Screw a squirrel bitch."

"If that's how you feel." She turned, already irritated, and made her exit. 

She walked down the long hallway a way until she reached another person of importance.

They had not found the canyon guardian Nanaki yet, but they knew they would soon, so they had captured his human "grandfather," Bugenhagen when he died.

The man looked up at her with empty eyes and said, "I know you have Nanaki's friends now. I can feel them."

"Shuttap you old idiot." Safiris snapped, annoyed that he had so easily seen through them. 

"What you are doing is not good for the planet."

This tipped the viper woman a little closer to over the edge, and she raised a hand menacingly. "We are going to save the planet! What we do now is none of my affair!"

"It's your choice. But I'm warning you, you must be careful." The white-haired canyon man chuckled dryly. "The bad guys always lose."

She kicked him with a snarl and walked away, now severly more angered.

It took her a fairly long time to find the next person, but for a minute she almost didn't go in to see him. Who cares how important he was, this man was dangerous!

She wondered why The Mistress had kept him, but then decided that he could become trouble if let to be reborn on Earth again. Safiris' master was definitely wary of him, possibly even scared of him. It made sense, he had done a lot of damage.

She took a deep breath, ignoring the mocking words coming from one of the cells, and entered through the strong door that opened into a bone-chilling room of raw, unfocused anger and insanity. She closed the door behind her.

And stood there staring, unable to move. She felt like something had struck her deep in her soul in a place where there was no healing. She now felt the awesome power of the one winged angel as those lethal eyes beat into hers, just as horrible and more so than even Feliyui's best descriptions. She couldn't escape, she couldn't run. She couldn't even scream.

She walked forward without even noticing, and put her hands over Sephiroth's magical shackles. They began to dissipate slightly. A sharp laugh echoed through the room, a laugh that was not quite human.

And then, she began to feel again, like her whole body had fallen asleep and was suddenly awake again. She struggled against the power of the silver haired man and this time, a satisfactory scream erupted from her throat. She pushed hard at her limbs, terrified and wanting only to get out of this place!

She tripped and fell to the ground, and a twitch shuddered through her. She slowly regained herself fully and noticed that Sephiroth was not even looking at her. She closed her eyes, just noticing salty tears that fell down her cheeks. She let out a terrified sob and began to scurry away from Sephiroth. He seemed preoccupied by the dissipating shackles.

And then, the door swung open, and a woman Safiris did not know walked in. Her eyes were both red, symbolizing she was one of the closest of The Mistresses servants. She stood there, watching Safiris, and said.

"She is not pleased, you have nearly freed him."

Safiris just looked sheepishly up at her. 

"However, you have proved a point. You and your companions have no right to be able to remove his chains." The woman informed her coldly.

"What does the Mistress want?" Safiris choked out.

A smile graced the face of the woman, a smile almost as horrific as the one of the one winged angels face as he watched the proceedings. "She'll come and repair the chains later."

Safiris began to stand, and the woman shook her head. "No, you're staying here until she gets around to coming to fix things." And then she walked out of the room, closing the door tightly.

Even as the cell became dark and freakishly quiet again, the green energy disappaited on the shackles. 

Safiris was not sure which came first, his deep, malicious laugh of triumph of her blood curdling scream. 

Sephiroth found the madness stronger in him than ever before. He couldn't resist, it had him taken over, transfixing his sanity much like he had the Viper Girl. 

He had recognized the woman in the doorway. The name would not come to him, but somehow he had known her. And for some nameless reason, it sent him into a snarling fit of hysterics. He lunged for her, seeing her face before him mocking him with it's scarlet eyes. He didn't realize that she had left, and that he was mercilessly thrashing the shapeshifter instead. All he could focus on was that gratifying scream. He laughed wickedly and knocked her to the ground, clawing at her face with his bare fingernails. Thought was impossible as adrenaline and power rushed him like a hurricane. 

Blood splattered onto his nearly bare chest as he showered his power unto the unfortunate girl. Every scream fuelled him farther. 

Even without his sword, he was a force to be reconed with. Safiris, who to him appeared to be the woman with the red eyes, tried feebly to kick him, but he felt nothing but more desperation. 

And then she managed out of some amazing strength to flip him away from her, and he landed on his back on the icy stone. This sent him into even more insane laughter, and he leapt at her again.

However, he was tiring of this, and his burst of madness and adrenaline was running out. As he lunged for her, she instinctively kicked him in chest, and it managed to mess up his attack. He tripped and fell neatly on top of her. It took him a long time to realize this was not what he had planned, not from stupidity but from the mindless arrogance he felt with the need to kill. He lay there a moment, and then fatigue hit him hard from the pause and he returned completely to a somewhat half-sane state of confusion. At once, two things occurred to him.

One was that she was _not _the red eyed woman, and the other was that he was crushing her.

Had he been another person, he would have also noticed that he was on top of her in a somewhat irresponsible position, but he was too busy clambering slowly to his feet to notice. 

She ran deep into the farthest corner and watched him with huge eyes. He shuddered and examined her carefully. She was bleeding from deep claw-wounds and her clothing was in tatters. 

He held his head and sat down against the wall, watching her carefully. His mind was full of troubled thoughts.

With a sigh, he put his head against the wall and closed his eyes. The shapeshifters blood flowed down from his hands and chest in a gruesome manner, giving him the look of what he was.

A maniacal killer.

He hadn't realized he was asleep until he awoke, his back aching from leaning on the wall, and a migraine beating down in his mind. He had also missed when Aklojha had come and remade his magical chains.

He licked his lips and waited, with the eyes of a predator.

* I think this song is sung by Chester Bennington and um, that guy from Korn, I forgot his name, hehehehe.

_Authors Note: Yay! New chappy! I wouldn't had it out earlier but I had to go to my dads.  (cries) MY DOGGY DIED!! I know that has nothing to do with anything but… (goes into a severe state of depression) Maybe I should lay off on the depressing music…_

_Anyhoo, I LOVE YOU GUYS!! PLEEEEEEEEEASE KEEP READING!! xD_


	11. Fear Rising

Chapter 11 – Fear Rising

_Drowning in a sea of rage,_

_I taste the embrace._

_Helpless as it stings my soul._

_I've lost all control…_

_"Temptation" – The Tea Party_

Aeris shivered against the supernatural chill that seemed more a part of this place then the walls or the floor. It was like walking through ice, an ice so small and fine that it was almost unphysical, but still sunk into her skin, through her bones, and stuck to her like a parasite. She wished she could just turn and run.

But Cloud was here. Somewhere in this horrific place, he needed her, and she _would _find him. No matter what.

She would have to protect the others too. If she was the cause of their deaths, she would never be able to forgive herself. 

She reached back and carefully undid the Princess Guard from a strap on her back. For so long it had lay hidden in the Lifestream's city of the ancients, she'd never needed it, and the sight of it always reminded her of her friends and how much she missed them. But now, she was glad she had it with her. It had always seemed stronger when her friends were in trouble for some reason, and it was simply radiating power now. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Do you hear something?" Elena asked suddenly.

Reno looked at her with a frown. "Screams."

"No, there's something else. It sounds like – I don't know, hissing of some kind."

Aeris glanced at her, and then noticed Red XIII, who was staring full ahead with his ears up and his fangs bared. A low growl escaped his maw.

"Somethings coming. It smells like a snake."

Aeris grimaced. One of the shapeshifters, no doubt, had spotted them.

As they watched, a snake did come slithering out, but as it went it slowly melded into something else, a human. 

It was a woman that looked about Aeris' age, with slitted green eyes that matched her serpent form's, and long bluish hair that wrapped around her sinuous body. Her face was full of scars, but oddly, they looked fairly recent.

She slowly wrapped her hand around a curved blade hilt at her waist and withdrew it, and it flashed out towards Aeris and her friends. Yet, she saw something in the woman's eyes, an uncontrollable, deep fear. 

"Don't move." The woman muttered. "Come with me, or you'll all be killed."

Some idiotically humorous part of Aeris' brain told her that at least _she _couldn't be killed, but she ignored it. 

Reno sniggered a little from behind Aeris, "We've heard that one before."

"Shuttap redhead." The woman replied. "I ain't joking."

There was a slight metallic click and Aeris whirled around to see Vincent holding up the Death Penalty at her menacingly.

"Put down the sword."

The woman looked at him a moment, then laughed. "Vinny? Wow, it's been awhile."

Aeris watched the gunslingers face as his expression shifted into a thoughtful glare. 

"Safiris?" He asked.

"You know it, Vinny babe. The hell are you doing here?"

Aeris stayed quiet, as the others did, as Vincent shook his head. "I could ask the same thing."

Safiris winced. "I'd hate to say it, but I gotta take you to my boss. I had no idea you were connected with that Cloud guy."

"Wait a minute." Reeve broke in. "What exactly does you boss want?"

"And is Cloud with him?" Red added.

"Whoa, one at a time!" Safiris snapped. "For one thing, _Her _business doesn't concern me, and number two, yes, Cloud's with her right now."

"Okay, here's a question. Who the heck are you?" Reno enquired.

"Uh…" She shrugged. "I used to work with the Turks with Vinny. Apparently neither of us got killed yet."

"Then why are working with these lowlifes?" Reno pressed on.

"Who do you think you are, redboy?" 

"My name's Reno, of the new and definitely improved Turks."

Reeve looked at Aeris with a loopy grin. "The reunion of the many Turks?"

She nodded with a smile. 

"Stop delaying my job!" Safiris barked. "Just – come with me, okay?"

"What does your boss want?" Vincent repeated Reeve's question. 

"I don't know! It – uh – can't be _that _bad. I think." She frowned. "But it doesn't matter, you have to come anyway!"

They all looked up at Vincent, who just shrugged. "Alright."

"I'm sorry Vinny, it's my job."

"Be quiet Safiris."

The woman looked at her ex-partner with a sad expression a moment, then turned away. "Follow me." She murmured forlornly.

"Hello Cloud." Purred a voice from deep inside the room. Cid gazed up and saw a woman watching them with a slight smile, the smile of a predator. The woman had a timeless effect about her, and seemed to emit power like a beacon of some sort. There was no penance in her face.

And she was the most beautiful being Cid had ever seen. She was dressed in flowing silk attire that was somewhat revealing without being slutty, and her hair was tied back so that a few stray locks of her scarlet hair hung in her eyes, which seemed to go on for all eternity with a deep wisdom and definite evil.

"Who are you?" Cloud demanded.

The woman smiled, though the smile never reached her eyes. "My name is Aklojha, if that's what you want to know. And I know who you are, very well."

"Get to the goddamn point!" Cid shouted angrily. 

"That's not what I'd want if I were you." Aklojha said in an offhand way. 

"Like hell! Stop toying with us, bitch!" Barett responded.

"What do you want?" Cloud muttered. 

"You want me to explain myself? Fine then." Aklojha shrugged. "You were the ones that protected the planet from Sephiroth. Therefore, you have a power even stronger than his, and I could use that. All I want is each of you to help me a little bit."

"Or what?" Shaela questioned.

"Or everyone you love will die. That's the problem with people, when their friends are in danger, they will do nearly anything to protect them."

Her seeming calmness was incredibly aggravating, as if she didn't really have the time to take them seriously. 

She gazed at Cloud, and he glared slightly. "Prove it."

_Yes, it's a bluff. Cloud knows what he's…_

Aklojah shrugged and nodded to Pitasha, who walked out of the large doorway into the corridors. Cid watched Cloud's iridescent blue eyes, and he stood watching the doors with unwavering steadiness. 

There was a creak, and then Pitasha came into the room again, followed by a slender woman with indigo tresses of hair and Vincent, Reeve, Red, Elena, Reno and…

"Aeris." Cloud gasped in a voice little more than a gentle exhale of breath. The name rolled off his lips like the swaying of the wind.

"Safiris, you found the escapees?" Aklojah walked over slowly with a slight smile. "Good timing. We were just showing Cloud how we operate. Could you demonstrate?"

Cid looked back at the woman who must have been Safiris. She nodded to Aklojah, and then turned to find herself face to face to Vincent. 

"Don't do it." He said in a voice that was meant to be compassionate but was definitely not a plea. People like Vincent, Cid had discovered, don't request, they demand.

Safiris gave him a look that said things words couldn't, and the expression on Cid's friend's stoic face never changed. The woman – who Cid assumed knew Vincent somehow – gazed over her shoulder at Aklojah, then back, then shook her head. "I can't."

"Safiris, you're losing points…" Aklojah said in a slightly angered voice, then walked forward. "That's okay, why should I depend on you?"

A knife was suddenly present in her hand, and in two steps she sauntered forward and brought it down at Aeris' unprotected body.

Something came to Cid. 

_Standing under the altar. Watching. He saw the darkened figure leaping from the stone structure._

_He tried to call out but his throat was incapable of sound. He tried to run forward, and couldn't move, couldn't even breath…_

_The sound of ripping flesh…_

With a shout, Cid lunged forward and punched Aeris' attacker as hard as she could in the face. The woman fell to the floor with a hiss of surprise. 

Multiple weapons came out to the hands of the many alert warriors in the room. Out of the corner of Cid's eye, he saw three people sliding in seemingly from the shadows. 

"Get them!" Aklojah yelled. 

Years of Turk training did not fail Vincent's vigilant mind. He saw the three people that seemed to appear from the very walls, and decided they were good targets for now.

He raised the Death Penalty, closed one eye…and let the gun fall from limp hands.

Cruel red eyes far too akin to his own peered into him, like a hook latching to his soul and twisting. The thin, tanned face and raven hair were too familiar. 

If Safiris had surprised him, this did more. And Vincent was not easy to surprise.

"Hello Vincent." She said. He didn't move. He didn't even notice that he wasn't breathing. A name like the most beautiful and benevolent of words escaped his dry throat.

"Lucrecia," He clenched his teeth against the onrush of emotions. "Why are you here?"

A throwing knife hissed out, and for the first time, the former Turks guard failed, and it struck him with a sick noise above the collarbone. He hardly even grunted. It was too much. 

Two more knives were held at ready in Lucrecia's hands. "Why should I explain to you?" She demanded. Another knife struck him, this time bouncing painfully off his arm. 

"What happened?" He tried again.

"Defend yourself, you ass." She snarled. The red eyes that had somehow replaced her former amber ones flickered with unfamiliar anger. 

How could this be Lucrecia? She never spoke or acted like this.

What had happened?

The dark man couldn't have brought himself to picking up the gun if the world had depended on it. 

"Are you gonna finish him off, 'Cresia?" On of Lucrecia's companions asked in a rude voice that grated against Vincent's mind. Without even thinking about it, he jerked the knife out from beneath his neck and hurled it into the middle of Lucrecia's partner's forehead, who toppled over. 

Cresia had been the nickname Hojo had used…

Sephiroth smiled grimly to himself. He sensed an onrush of emotions not far from where he was sitting, and part of it was a dark bolt of anger that he had learned to identify with Aklojah. And then, there was the strong power that hung about Cloud like an aura. Perhaps they would kill each other, who knew? 

There were many other individual feelings he didn't recognize as well. One was the soft sense the Falcon Man had, and the deep chaos of Safiris. Otherwise, it was just a gathering of people to him. 

And then the red eyes returned to him. The woman who had come that day, the one Sephiroth had mistaken for Safiris…she was close. The more he thought about her, the more he felt he was coming closer to recognizing her. Now, when he thought back to the red eyes he could see past the shade given to Aklojah's servants, and see the honey eyes She'd been born and lived with. Why couldn't he forget that face?

He frowned into the darkness of his confinement and tried desperately to remember who it was. Somehow it was so deathly important to him; he _needed _to know…

And then it came to him with a crystal sharpness that caused him to wonder how he hadn't seen it earlier. He'd never seen _this _woman in the flesh before, but deep in his subconscious the image of her face was waiting for a moment of sanity to reveal itself to him.

Her name was Lucresia. 

"Mother…" 

No, why had he even _thought _Jenova was his mother? She was nothing to him, not anymore.

He needed to find this Lucresia woman. No matter what held him back, he would find her.

He focused his mind on the only weapon he had.

Something was calling Cloud, first faintly then deep and urgently. It was a feeling he remembered that had taken him many times; at the temple of the ancients, and the city…

Sephiroth was claiming his body again, after all this time of peace. 

And then it was all dark to him, just like before. There was no fighting it anymore.

Aklojah stood, slightly humiliated by being knocked down by such an inferior being, and sent out a blast of fiery magic that sent the man who hit her to the floor. Then she turned back to her priority, Cloud.

And something, some sixth sense, went off in the back of her mind. The look in the blond haired man's eyes was too…

It was not Cloud looking through those misty eyes. 

"Sephiroth, get away." She muttered, struggling to keep panic from her voice. 

Cloud took a step forward, and Aklojah took a step back. He took another step, and she froze.

"You thought you could contain me that easily?" Cloud asked incredulously. And though those mako eyes stayed the same, she saw the chaotic emerald eyes that were laughing at her underneath. Anger burned through her veins, thicker and hotter than blood.

"Your weak, Sephiroth. You can't escape the chains."

"More the fortunate for you." The laughing eyes didn't even twitch. "You'll regret all of what you've done to me."

Cloud turned as Pitasha ran up to support Aklojah, and the shapeshifter fell almost obediently to his knees. He let out a strange throaty scream that echoed through the room and rose over the sounds of battle, and clutched his shoulders as if trying to hold himself together. 

The Puppet turned back to her.

"You try to frighten me, Sephiroth, but it's a waste of your time. You're just a shadow under my power."

"If that's what you want to believe." He said, and though Sephiroth's host's body didn't move, his very voice spoke the emotions. Indifference, mingled with laughter. A laughter best left unheard to those who valued their sanity.

Her hands flew up and deflected the fist that launched itself at her throat, but she wasn't fast enough to avoid the knee that came up and connected with her thin waist. The breath left her body, and she closed her eyes in pain. 

"I could kill you where you stand, but I'm not going to." This time a laugh did emanate from Cloud's mouth, and it sent a chill throughout her body. "I'm going to wait until I can do it in person. So you wait, and you keep pretending you're safe, because I could come at any time…"

And then Cloud toppled over lifelessly onto his back.

Aklojah bit her lip and drew blood as ferocious rage threatened to intoxicate her. With a scream of wrath, she kicked Cloud's figure on the ground and ran from the large room to her personal quarters where she could sit and plan in a state of instability.

And then, the paranoia sunk in.

_Authors Note: I betcha anything all the italics I put in didn't work. Oh well._

_Didja like? This is for "   " (lol) who seemed so happy at the prospect of a fighting scene xD Sorry about the wait._

_Oh gawd…just as I was writing this AN I realized that I put Tifa in the wrong spot in the this chapter, so I guess I'll fix that. SORRY!! (feels stupid as heck) Well, I replaced Tifa with Cid in this chappy, so I hope I don't make any mistakes and call him "her" or something like that. ACK!!!!_

_Please live with my mortality…_


	12. Special Authors Note

Special Note

Hi, remember me? Destiny? Wow, been awhile. =P

I just wanted to make a note to anyone it matters to that…I'm gonna rewrite this story! Yay! 

I stopped writing it awhile back for two reasons: One, I started a new account on FF.net (Kikaiyu) and I haven't been using this one anymore; and two, I was disappointed about the lack of interest. However, due to the kind reviews I just got lately, I got nostalgic and decided to read it. Upon doing so I decided that I hated it the way it was, so I'm going to redo it with my other account. (And it shall be MUCH better, I promise)

Anyway, thanks for reading this, and I hope you'll look into the new IMPROVED Light! Thanks a bazillion! ^_____^

~Kikaiyu (Aka: Destiny of Fire)


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